Con Brio: A Randomized FireRed Nuzlocke
by grimkat
Summary: The shenanigans of a naive crossdressing trainer and their slightly yandere cleffa.
1. Chapter 1

_**Nuzlocke Challenge Rules:**_

 _ **You must consider any fainted pokemon dead (also, no using revives or max revives)**_

 _ **You may only capture the first pokemon you see on any route.**_

 _ **It's also been randomized to spice things up a bit: meaning all starters, wild pokemon, and trainer pokemon teams including Gym Leaders have been randomized to a pokemon of similar rarity and strength.**_

 _ **As is with any Nuzlocke, there is going to be death, cussing, and probably light gore in describing the death. Please enjoy, and tell me your thoughts and criticism so I can make this a better story in the reviews if you would be so kind. Also, if you care to do so, I may accept some OCs and use them as characters we meet along the way if I can fit them in there if you would like to submit them. So, enough of me yapping; have chapter 1 of Con Brio.**_

* * *

Clover stared at the trainer card in her hands, unable to believe it was actually happening.

It had a picture of a boy in red that looked a little similar to her, under the name of Aidan Smith. That day she had been drop dead tired, and it showed by the cranky expression. But she really _looked like a boy!_ None of the chubby legs she used to have, and whatever she may have had in the ways of boobs beforehand, was now completely indiscernible from an outside eye.

The age on the card read sixteen was two years older than she actually was, although it was necessary for the plan.

 _Right_ , she thought, feeling a little resentful. _The stupid plan._ As she often did, she wondered why on earth she was even doing it. She had thought originally, that it'd be great to help a friend, but ever since, that _friend_ was a huge ass. He had a reason for it, kind of, she supposed, but that didn't mean she was just going to take it.

Which rang the thought again of _why on earth was she even doing this?_ She wasn't a bad kid- not if she could help it. Her mom was a hardworking single mother and Clover only had the upmost respect for her. Even if they disagreed about a lot of things.

Clover was nervous- of course she was, this was a plan of years in the making, and it was finally happening, in less than 24 hours. She was _running away from home_ for legends' sakes! And why? She barely had a solid reason. _Because I pity him? Because it's for a good cause?_ The only thing she could come up with that sounded _remotely_ okay was that she didn't think it would be wise to let Gary go alone.

 _This is stupid._ She thought, angrily slamming and spamming buttons on her gamecube controller. _This is so stupid._

At around 1 am in the morning, squeaks of pebbles hitting her window disrupted her gaming.

 _So he remembers I exist. That's, well, something, at least._ Clover peeked through her blinds and was confirmed in her educated guess. It was Doucheface Mcgee himself.

With all the caution she could muster, Clover tiptoed outside as if she were a meowth trapezing.

"Er… Hey, Clover."

Wow, he even remembered her name. She wasn't sure if she should be flattered or annoyed that he had met her so late. "Hey yourself, Gary."

He used to be like a prince- the pride of the Oak household. Now, he was a walking piece of male privates to everyone he knew or met.

His usually bold stature was hunched into himself and he looked guilty- a worn out expression on his features, and he looked so, so tired. She almost felt bad for him. Well, no, she did, but she was never going to admit it. "What's up, Oak? If you're worried about the plan, I'm still doing it. Don't worry about my side of it."

He looked as if he had been shocked speechless for a moment. "Wha- really? You're really going through with it?"

Clover shuffled her feet, wishing she were in her room. "Yup. So if there isn't anything important to be coming out of your mouth or mine, I'm to try to get some sleep."

Gary scratched his neck, looking almost nervous. Well- they had been thinking about this for years. He was at least twice as nervous as she was, probably.

"Thanks, Clover. I- I really mean it."

"Yeah, yeah, save it." She grumbled. "Just… Give this to Daisy, will you? Tell her to give it to my mom when she starts getting worried."

Gary took the thick envelope, glancing at her, and then back. "Of course- I promise. I promise. I'll, um, see you tomorrow then, Clover!"

She sighed. They were really going through with this. It almost felt like a dream, to have Gary acting like his old self. But then again, with all that was coming ahead, she wondered if it was to be more of a nightmare- or if it was even worth it. "It's Aidan, now." Clover threw the words over her shoulder before creeping back inside her house.

"Gramps, I've been waiting here forever!" Gary complained, stomping as Professor Oak dragged the newly deemed Aidan into the Laboratory.

When they were younger, it was a place they played in- or, generally, were thrown out of because they were too loud. Now, it was the blade cutting the two free from the quaint life they had in Pallet Town.

Aidan was too dazed to be really hearing the two of them bicker. She had an elaborate lie set up; she pretended she was going camping with her friend from Viridian who just came back from Celadon and she conveniently forgot to leave a note with any specific who, how or when.

It was pretty lucky for her that the elder Oak had yet to recognize her- he had known her since she was born. But then again, makeup did wonders and his eyesight was leaving at a fast pace.

Eventually, Professor Oak gently pushed her to the pokeballs- snapping out of her thoughts, she immediately went to check them out.

Laid out on the table in pokeballs were cleffa, zubat, and a charmander.

The charmander sounded amazingly strong, and dependable. But flashy. And unfortunately for Aidan, flashy was not an option. Charmanders were rare, and a trainer with a Charizard? Forget it, the news would be eating them alive.

Zubat, while inconspicuous, was rather weak. For a starter, it also wasn't a very good option, since she would have to build a team around it. With no one else for a zubat to fall back on in battle, it would likely die.

Cleffa was her only option left. It wasn't super effective against anything, but normal types were also only weak against fighting types- not to mention a diverse set of moves which was useful.

With a forlorn glance at the charmander, she grabbed the cleffa, hoping the little one was tough.

Names, names… Aidan wanted to name her pokemon, but what? Clefairies were often associated with outer space stuff… And it was pretty cute, in all its evolutions…

Gary stormed over to the table and nabbed- Aidan flinched. She had hoped, with no luck, that he wouldn't chose the charmander. But who was she kidding? Of course he would.

"C- Aidan! Let's battle, right here! Let's check out our pokemon!"

Enthusiasm lit the boy with energy, fidgeting with a cocky grin, ball confidently in his grasp.

"Oh for legends' sakes… Fine. But be careful, would you two?" Oak groaned, standing to the side to act as a referee.

Aidan tuned out as Oak listed the rookie information- she had gotten the trainer card through a series of tests, of course she had to know all the basic information.

Letting out the new cleffa, she kneeled to talk to the pokemon. "Hi there, little guy."

" _Hello! Nice to meet you, Master!"_

Aidan wasn't really into the sound of 'master' but hearing Gary's conversation with the charmander start to dry up, she decided it wasn't a good subject for the time being. "Hey, can I call you Fae?"

" _Yes, of course, Master! It would be most honorable to receive such a cute name!"_

Rubbing her temples, Aidan sighed. "Do you mind a battle? I'm sorry it's right after we met, but-"

" _It's fine, it's fine. I'll do my best!"_

On the side of the ball, there was a list of moves- presumably what the cleffa knew. Names would come later- Aidan had a bad feeling about the vicious look in the charmander's eyes. Sure, the cleffa had some handy moves- but this was no time to take it easy.

"Use charm, Fae!" Aidan was pretty grateful for having the first move, since she was the one being challenged. Fae did a adorable little dance and winked at her opponent.

Gary's expression was serious- she wasn't sure she had ever seen him like that in recent years. "Clara, use scratch!"

It wasn't like the big screen battles- no flashy explosions, no complicated strategies. It was basic moves and luck, which Aidan hoped really badly that she had. Sure, she was alright to leave home to make sure the guy didn't end up dead, but that didn't mean she wanted to lose.

The move seemed to have done some decent damage- Fae had a cut on her pudgy little arm now. _Please use growl, please use growl._ The charmander let loose another mean scratch attack, right before Aidan had told Fae to use encore. _Shit._

The battle progressed with charms and scratches, and Aidan finally felt it was time to fight back. "Pound!"

"Scratch!"

Aidan was so very glad she had spent some of her saved up money to buy a potion- if she didn't have it, then the battle would've been in Gary's favor.

Quickly as her body would allow, Aidan dumped a potion on her new partner, rolling out of the way as the charmander landed a weak scratch.

The rest of the battle was less scary for the new crossdressing trainer- the charmander had gotten infatuated with the little pink pokemon due to its _Cute Charm_ ability and, giving the cleffa more time to dodge and hit, and eventually, the mild attacks of Fae won through, after what seemed like ages.

"WHAT? Unbelievable!" Gary shouted, stomping as he walked up to his charmander and placed it back in its ball. "I picked the wrong pokemon…" He grumbled.

Aidan really wanted to retort back, but withheld. She had won and that was enough. Besides, it was funny to think of his reaction if he had chosen the _zubat_. She couldn't help but grin at the thought. "Great job, Fae! You were awesome!"

" _Thank you, Master!"_ The pokemon seemed overjoyed, hopping up and down, skipping around her trainer.

Gary shoved a wad of dollars into Aidan's hands. "Enjoy it now, because there won't be a next time." He growled before marching off, purposefully bumping into the winner on the way out. "Aidan! Gramps! Smell you later!"

 _Smell you later? What are you, five?_ Aidan picked up her new comrade with a smile, after realizing the tiny pokemon had trouble keeping up with such little legs.

With a fat wallet full of savings and Gary's money, along with a adorable cleffa in tow, Aidan left her home with a smile. No- _his_ home, now. If he was going to play the part, he was going to do it well.

* * *

The day had started off nice, it really had. But there were _so many_ tedious battles against the young pokemon of the area. Aidan had been told the wild path to Viridian City was long, but he didn't expect it to take _all friggin day!_ By the time they got to their destination, Fae was practically asleep in his arms and the sun was going down.

First, they stopped at the Pokemon Center, to check out a room and to heal the battered cleffa.

The city was calm as he remembered it being, although part of it was blocked off by a old man and his daughter, who almost hit Aidan with a pan to keep away. _Weirdos._ Then, he gave a glance to the trainer school, and looked around for any signs of people searching for him-er, well, for Clover, anyway. It was a bit ridiculous, but it made Aidan feel kinda lonely- but it meant his mom was okay and not in panic mode yet.

Deciding it would be good to pick up supplies before there was any amber alert, he stopped by the PokeMart.

"Hello there, are you from Pallet?" was the first thing the clerk said to him. _That's rude._

"Er, ye-"

"Great! Take him this package, would you?"

Every _single_ time Aidan tried to buy something, the clerk would only repeat his question with a smile- it was really creepy.

Defeated, the young trainer went back to catch some sleep on the bed waiting for him in the center.

As it turned out, Fae was a extremely clingy sleeper, nuzzling uncomfortably into Aidan's nooks and crannies.

They had slept for a whole twelve hours til noon, and left to give the package to Oak. Aidan wanted to finish as quickly as possible- and check on his mother.

As they entered the town, a unfortunate face met Aidan's view.

"Cl- Aidan, what are you doing here?"

"Apparently delivery g-, er, boy for your grandpa. You?"

"None of your business, loser."

Aidan sighed. There came out the asshole Gary she knew so well. "I'll go with you if you wait up for a moment." He offered, trying to be civil.

"As if." Gary sneered, walking away trying to look cool. It really just looked a little dorky.

Well, he tried.

" _Why do you let him talk to you like that, Master? That was certainly rude!"_

Fae had managed to clamber up to Aidan's shoulders, making her place homely and quickly. "Eh, it's fine. He was more civil in the past two days than in the last three years. And uh… Would you mind forgetting what I'm about to do?"

" _Er… Master Aidan?"_

The trainer took a deep, deep breath.

 _ **Knock Knock!**_

And out of the door came Layla Emory, single mother to one. His mother

 _Thank the legends._ Aidan felt a bit of the weight on his shoulders lifted off, seeing his mother in one piece, peachy as ever. "Er… 'scuse me ma'am how's your…" He lost his function to speech once he saw Fae literally in his mother's arms. _Oh._ "How's your day, um, going?"

"What a adorable pokemon you have here! Oh- my bad. Sorry, it was probably rude to do that, hm?"

Aidan didn't think he'd ever be shy or choke up in front of his parent- most of the time they were bickering or laughing- and now he felt like a bashful three year old. "I uh, don't think Fae minded at all, haha… hah…"

Fae sent him a look saying, _what?!_

Aidan tried to give a tiny nod, hoping the message of _just do something!_ got across.

Fae sent him a dirty look before nuzzling the woman." _Uh… Cleffa, cleffa! Clef!"_

Aidan had to keep himself from laughing. "Um, do you, um…" The urge to laugh drained from his body when he panicked. The only thing he could think of… oh legends. "Do you have the time right now to listen about our righteous savior and lord, Giratina?"

Somehow, Aidan actually managed to bs his way through the conversation. He didn't expect his mom to _actually_ try to quiz him and question him about grimism- he had lost a whole thirty minutes of his day to that.

"Oh, Aidan, thank you so much for bringing the specialty pokeball, I appreciate it."

Aidan coughed and tried to make his voice a little lower. "It's, uh, nothing, Professor Oak."

" _It's, uh, nothing, Professor Oak. Oh, do you have the time to hear about our saiv-"_

The mimicked trainer flicked the cleffa's forehead. "Cleffa cleffa, look at me- ow!" Pouting pink small pokemon bit Aidan's finger.

Fae stuck her tongue out. " _It was Master Aidan who did it so short not-"_

"That's why I asked you to wipe it from your memory!" Aidan complained, giving a pitiful look to his pokemon.

The professor cleared his throat, with a impatient looking Gary glaring from behind him. "It seems you and your pokemon are getting along wonderfully! You really have some talent for training!" Oak loudly congratulated, clapping Aidan on the shoulder.

Gary made his way in front of his grandfather, pissed off. "I've been waiting here for like thirty minutes! Enough about that, what is this is this about, Gramps?"

The professor stepped back with a kindly smile, and grabbed two blocky red electronic devices. "I have a request for you two! I want you two to collect data about all kinds of pokemon on your journey. It's my very own invention. My dream is to-"

Gary snorted. "Blah blah, is that all, Gramps? I have things to do, people to see."

The elder Oak sighed and gave Gary a look. "I want you two to use these high-tech encyclopedias to get data from pokemon you see and catch. That's all I ask in exchange for your pokemon."

"Kay, got it. Smell ya, Gramps. Aidan." He stopped, just for a moment, beside Aidan. He scratched his neck before giving his signature smirk. "I'm sorry to break it to you Aidan, but you won't be necessary for this."

* * *

According to the Rules, a trainer can only catch one pokemon- the first pokemon they see on a route. Aidan excitedly searched the route when they encountered a pidgey a while into the search.

"Fae! Let's see if we can catch a new member of the party!" To say Aidan was excited was an understatement- being a trainer had never particularly been a dream of his in the past, but it was still just like out of a movie. Aidan had never done anything really adventure like before, and he was _pumped._ And he made sure to let Fae know too, hoping to get her into the spirit.

"Won't it be cool, Fae? It'll be so totally cool to have another member!"

Fae, riding on her trainer's shoulder, could only sigh. " _Master Aidan, I don't get why you're so excited. Didn't we just met yesterday? How come you aren't as excited about that, Master?"_

"Don't call me master." He grumbled, shooting a look at his pokemon. "And it's not that I'm not pumped to have you with me but I don't get to meet new faces too ofte- _crap!_ "

Unknowingly, the trainer had just stepped into a shallow pitfall trap.

" _How could you fall in a pitfall trap, stupid Mast-"_

Two pidgey flew in and one attacked the duo, the other stealing the fairly empty bag.

"Hey don't take our- ow! stop tha- ow-" A rattata joined the opposing forces, tackling the trainer down every time he tried to stand up.

" _Master!"_ Fae cried, trying to stop the pidgey stealing the backpack.

The other offending pokemon tried to gang up on the small cleffa, all attempting to take the bag away, but were somewhat held off by Aidan.

If this had been a fair fight, one on one against either of the pidgey or the rat, Aidan wouldn't have been worried, but three against one tiny pokemon was completely unfair.

It was a awkward tumble of fighting and scratching and bruising, but it eventually ended with two events. The rattata with its teeth on the trainer's throat, and then, a very angry little ball of cleffa pounding her way out.

" _Don't you fucking TOUCH HIM!"_

Aidan didn't think he had ever seen something so _little_ so _angry_ before. Angry didn't even really cover the half of it- completely enraged, really. She just kept punching and slamming and doing everything within her power to hurt the rattata- the pidgey were smart enough to fly away from the danger, leaving the backpack.

While Aidan was pretty embarrassed he couldn't even keep off a rattata, he was more concerned for it at this point than Fae.

"Fae, you can stop now-"

" _NO! I'M GOING TO KILL-"_

The trainer tried to keep off the pink pudge of hate to calm it down but it was thoroughly pissed- although, at what, was now the question considering the rat could no longer move ever again.

"You already killed it, Fae. It's… not going anywhere. It can't hurt me anymore. Calm down." Aidan really wasn't sure if he was supposed to be so flattered that someone got so mad on his behalf, or terrified about what had just happened. He never really had many friends, and sure he had been bullied a bit, but he never complained about it in fear of worrying his mother.

He grabbed the now quiet pokemon in his arms and walked for a while in silence, deciding that they weren't going to get anything done from sitting there. Maybe he would have to condition Fae to be less protective or something- that actually made him pretty curious… "Hey, Fae. If you don't mind me asking… Why are you so protective? We barely met yesterday."

Fae jumped up and stole his hat basically covering up half of the little pokemon, and seemed to press herself into him, trying to be smaller, as if trying to disappear. " _I… Master Aidan… Life in the lab wasn't too bad. Oak played with us and fed us well, but we were a little trapped. We never met anyone else besides the aides. I've been told my whole life what I would be and do- protect my trainer. With my life if need be."_ Aidan wasn't entirely sure he liked the sound of that- but he was glad he was able to let Fae see the world, even if it wasn't much. " _You're nice, Master. And I don't mind being with you- it's quite fun. You're very silly and a little stupid and too nice, I think, you are soft. Even if it's not much, you've given me a lot and I want to protect you."_

Aidan stopped in his tracks. He set the confused cleffa on the ground, and moved the hat so the cleffa could meet him eye to eye when he kneeled.

His hair was so short and choppy, and he was still unused to the feeling of having virtually no hair. It was itchy. But, even more so, it drove to the point that this was his life now. Out with Clover and in with Aidan, the pokemon trainer.

"Look, Fae. You're _tiny_. You're a baby pokemon, and barely beginning to grow. Let me at least _try_ to protect you, will ya? You're going to be too cool for a trainer like me pretty soon." Aidan smiled at the bashful stature of the little cleffa, reminded of his meeting with his mother earlier. If Aidan had to be put in a similar situation with his mother, he thought he might just act exactly like Fae. "We're friends, not a servant and master. Equals. Did you hear me?"

" _Yeah, yeah, master. Equals an all that."_

Legends, it was going to be a while before Fae dropped the master part, wasn't it?

* * *

 _ **(Enter: Elliot the Shellder lv.2, at Route 22, West of Viridian.)**_

I scooted closer to the noise, secure in my hiding spot in the bushes and brambles. I willed myself not to tremble as I saw a young trainer- one of the boy things, but short and not yet in much puberty. A pokemon smaller than I was with them- it was pudgy and cute and the only thing that I could think of that looked a bit like it would be a jigglypuff.

They certainly didn't _seem_ scary, but I couldn't underestimate them.

The trainer had just pitched a tent, wiping off sweat from their brow as they sat down, next to the cleffa who was tending to a transportable human invention for cooking.

I could practically hear my mother's words in my ears. _Don't you dare trust humans!_ She would say, cursing a storm, rocking back and forward in her shell. _They slayed your father!_ She would break down in tears, ice cicles sliding down her face as she howled and murmured ideas of revenge.

I didn't trust humans one bit. And if I was strong enough, I would venture to hunt down anyone associated with my father's death- but I was a weakling. A runt, and had little in the ways of anything- even in food or adequate protection to sleep peacefully- the pokemon west of Viridian city weren't all that strong, but they were mean.

I scooted a inch closer, intrigued by the cleffa beating up the trainer.

" _Master Aidan, will you STOP TRYING TO TICKLE ME!"_

The terrified trainer was trying to scramble away, but little was working. "Ow- I did- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you just looked really cute laughing! WHY ARE YOU STILL- ow I bith meh thongue- NOTH THERE!" This continued for some time.

The huffy cleffa was the first to notice me, to my dismay. " _Eh?"_ She grinned, giving me a similar look. " _If you don't have business with me or Master, beat it, kid."_

I thought the trainer was going to dismiss the situation or agree- but they laughed. "Fae, you're not very good at being threatening." The other pokemon started to make a retort about the trainer's questionable puffy eye, but it was cut short, instead becoming loud noises of protestation when he kneeled before me.

" _H-hello there, mister trainer."_ I squeaked meekly, trying to shy away father into my shell. Up close they looked friendly, but I wouldn't be fooled so quickly.

They smiled and quieted the cleffa gently, covering up my view of it. "Would you like to eat with us, little guy?"

For the entire quarter moon, they stayed in the area, the cleffa fighting wild pokemon to become stronger and the trainer reading a lot of books. The trainer, despite the many arguments with their companion pokemon on the subject, always left some food out for me, even when I was watching from far away.

In all honesty, I was beginning to become worried for the trainer. They were naive and a bit stupid- I was benefiting from it, but they were so kind, it made me feel intensely guilty.

One day, while the trainer- er, Aidan, was washing up in the pond, I decided to confront the cleffa who I had learned was named Fae. The pokemon beat up her trainer far too much, and it was the least I could do to get the guilt off my shoulders- well, figurative shoulders.

" _F-Fae!"_ I called out at the familiar campsite, sucking in all the courage I owned. I wasn't very strong- I had rarely ever fought before and really, 'fought' was a generous term. It was more like I was beat up- but I wouldn't mind getting a little roughed up to pay my dues.

The pokemon put the pan she had been scrubbing down. " _What is it, you pathetic clam?"_

I could feel my heart panic, and I had to force myself to rationalize. If I was about to be killed, the trainer would save me, right? Right? " _I-I'm a shellder, not a clam! And stop beating up Aidan! It's stupid and it isn't nice at all."_

" _Nice?"_ She scoffed, putting her tiny hands on her sides. " _Master Aidan is an idiot! He's going to get himself killed, so I have to make him think about what he does and show him what's wrong! He's too nice, and that's exactly what will get him killed!"_

I swallowed, starting to tremble. I had to stand my ground! " _St-st-still, Fae! That's too m-much, you know! You should be ni-nicer!"_

She looked deadly unamused, with a raised brow promising she was pissed off. If I hadn't been trembling before hand, I was shaking violently now, but somehow I still was able to talk like I had some courage. " _Why don't you join the team and protect Master then, you stuuupid clam?"_ She sneered, and I could feel her looking down on me.

Maybe it was because I was angry and wanted to prove a point, but my next words shocked both of us. " _Maybe I will!"_

Why on earth had I thought it was an okay idea to get involved with a human? I could picture my mother screaming at me, with an anger beyond words. I had betrayed her just now- but I wanted to do something for the trainer- even if this was more than I wanted. I hadn't meant to join or anything like that- I had just liked the company they had presented- but I wasn't a mon' to go back on my word. Ever. It was about my only good point.

And my next move was also quite stupid- was the boy rubbing off on me?- I tackled the cleffa.

Needless to say, Aidan had to pull her off me. He told me to wait after apologizing for her behavior- and being me, I followed them at a safe distance.

" _Why are you so nice to the stupid shell, Master Aidan?! I don't understand! He's weak and pathetic and-"_

For the first time since I had met the two of them, he actually sounded irritated. "Fae." He growled firmly, staring her down in an uncomfortable kneeling position since she was so small. "Listen: I'm grateful you want to protect me. I am. But I want you to understand- it isn't bad to be friendly sometimes. If you don't, someone might not be when you need it the most, okay? I want you to think ab- _shit!_ "

Fae had landed a jab to the human's shin- before I could stop myself, I was tackling Fae again. " _Fae, stop!"_

She evaded the attack easily- but I was not prepared for the water works when I turned around to look at her.

" _Stupid Master Aidan!"_ She screamed, falling to the ground. " _Y-You're so naive and defenseless, and I'm s-scared you're going to die every time I t-take my eyes off you! Don't make me c-care about you just to go away so easily! I s-still have nightmares a-a-about that stupid rattata, and I refuse to let you die, okay?!"_

The trainer looked as if he had been slapped in the face. "Oh, Fae, I'm sorry. I didn't…" The rest of the evening had been spent in a somber mood, little being said at all.

The cleffa even went to bed early, saying _thank yous_ and _please_ , even to _me_.

Both the trainer and I were baffled by it, discussing it when enough time passed and then we deemed it safe she wouldn't hear.

Aidan sighed, stressed out by have little idea what to do to help his starter. "Ahh, I'm her trainer and I'm supposed to know what to do to make things better, right? Legends, I'm pathetic." The trainer held his face in his hands, so still as if he were made of stone.

I hoped my pessimistic attitude hadn't affected Aidan. " _Uhm… How long have you two been together?"_ I questioned, trying to keep his mind from dwelling too much.

He didn't move to look at me, hands only tightening on his head. "A little over a week, I guess? It's felt like longer, honestly."

That was a bit of a surprise- the two of them got along pretty well, and the cleffa was extremely clingy to have only known the human for a week or so. " _Fae is really attached to you already. Isn't that a good thing?"_

It was only a fraction of an inch, but his shoulders relaxed a little bit. "That's true, but she's been pretty attached to me from the beginning, really. I think it was more of her upbringing though, Shellder. She's been raised her whole life to protect my role as a trainer."

" _Hey, this is Fae we're talking about! She wouldn't care so much about just anyone, you know, it just shows that she cares about you and is really worried about you!"_ I felt good about this one- that this would be at least somewhat helpful in cheering Aidan up. It was weird, to see him down, when he was usually smiles and laughs, even when being beaten up.

Or not. He curled into a tight fetus position, and from the little bit that I could see of his face, he looked about to _cry_ of all things. "It's only because I'm pathetic, Shellder. I was almost killed by a rattata on our second day- _a rattata_ , for legends' sakes. She's right about everything she says, you know- I'm pathetic and weak and-"

I said things like this to myself practically every moment I breathed but I wasn't going to stand for Aidan- no, _my trainer_ to talk about himself this way. If he was going to be strong enough to kill my dad's murderers, he was going to be something better than this. " _Shush, Aidan! You're my trainer, and her trainer, and you should be proud of that, so chin up!"_

He fell out of his curled position and, awkwardly splayed out on the ground, looked shocked beyond belief. "When did _this_ happen?!"

" _Just now!"_ I barked with strength I didn't usually have.

"R-really? Are you sure, Shellder?"

I was fidgeting in my shell, nervous, but excited. " _Y-yeah, of course! But, on one condition."_

He nodded seriously, crouching to be at my level. Didn't that ever hurt his back? "Of course."

" _You have to get both of us strong enough to take my dad's murderer, okay?"_

"You bet!" He grinned, face now lit up with his usual positivity. "Oh, hey! This will probably make Fae really pleased!"

I gagged. " _You think so? I doubt that. I think you being there and telling her you're going to get strong will make her much happier."_

His pleasant expression doubled with delight, smile stretching from ear to ear. "Really? You think so?"

I scooted closer to nudge his ankle as we started to move to the tent. " _Of course, Aidan. And if not, I'll protect you."_

Finally, he laughed at that.

Looking at my trainer, he was weak. Small for a human boy, from what I knew. Hardly muscular. Not the smartest, and more than enough naive for the time being. But seeing him happy was contagious, and even if he didn't have potential as a trainer, I was happy to follow him. He was cute in almost a growlithe sort of way- much cuter than Fae, for sure.

I couldn't make a conjecture of any way that our team would turn out- it was as likely to end up dead as it was to prosper, and it wasn't like to do either- but being snuggled by his warm body, and with Fae's foot uncomfortably close to my face, I felt like it would be okay to be this way for now.

* * *

 _ **Team Line-up:**_

Fae the Cleffa, lv. 7

Elliot the Shellder, lv. 2

 _ **Death Box:**_ N/A

 _ **Location:**_ West of Viridian City, Route 22.

 _ **Next Time:**_ Aidan and co. find a new friend in Route 2 and tackle the Viridian Forest! Beware, all ye who enter. Fear the Bug-Catchers! Thanks for reading today, folks!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Chapter Two is up and running after some extra spirit from a review and some sleep deprivation. Thank you, anonymous Risa. Your review made me so pumped that I kinda just dived into writing it! It means a lot to hear someone say stuff like that. (Also, Clam has been doing well so far! No need for broken hearts quite yet.) Thank you! Please enjoy!

 _ **This time:**_ Aidan and co. find a new friend in Route 2 and tackle the Viridian Forest! Beware, all ye who enter. Fear the Bug-Catchers!

* * *

" _Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, you look like a mankey, and you smell like one too!" A young Gary Oak sang to an even younger Clover, sitting at a kiddie table in front of her house._

 _The weather was pretty hot, but so was the norm for summertime Pallet days, with a hearty sun beating down on them. Leyla was sitting at the porch, talking with Mrs. Oak as they watched their children play._

 _Clover blew out the candle on the easy-bake oven cake, smiling from ear to ear as if she had won the lottery. She was sweaty but didn't mind it, not if Gary was playing with her. He had been busy for a while- his parents finally got time off work and they had been on vacation in Cinnabar for almost a month. He even made a little cake for her._

" _What did you wish for?" Gary asked as he took out the candle from the tiny cake._

 _There was also another reason Clover was happy. Very, very happy. "I don't know if I can tell you, because it might not come true!" She giggled, rocking from side to side in her seat._

 _She was absolutely, positively, extremely giddy- it was better than Christmas! And she loved Christmas the most- well, almost the most, but she loved her mother just a little bit more._

" _Aww, come on, Clover. I can keep it a secret, I promise!"_

 _She sighed, defeated. "Okay, but you can't even tell my mama! I wasn't supposed to be up so late, and she might get mad if she knew."_

 _The eager little Oak nodded, hand over his heart. "Scouts honor!"_

 _Clover looked at her mom for a second, who was sipping her tea as Mrs. Oak was energetically recounting one of her many stories. "Well…" She hesitated for a minute, before moving her eyes back to Gary, who looked serious. "I heard crying last night and I got worried that maybe Mama was having a bad dream! So, I creeped out of bed and down the stairs- it was scary and kinda dark, but for some reason, Mama had the lights on. She was on the phone downstairs and was talking and yelling but not in her loud voice, and she mentioned someone as 'Clover's father' and I'm Clover! So, maybe, just maybe, my daddy might come today! Since it's my birthday and all."_

 _Gary, who had both parents married happily, seemed to be thinking about it deeply. Clover didn't think he was able to quite understand why she was so excited and desperate to meet her father, but he was heavily thinking about it, which was enough for her. He almost said something, but stopped and stayed quiet for a minute before saying, "Even if you daddy doesn't come, I can pretend to be your daddy until he comes home!"_

" _I don't know if your old enough to be a papa, Gary." She bubbled with laughter, giving him a grin._

" _Oh," he murmured, a little downtrodden. "Well, that's true, isn't it? I wonder if there's an age limit. I'll ask Daddy tonight!"_

" _Are you ever going to tell her, Leyla? She might have false hope, you know." Mrs. Oak asked her friend, watching their children from the porch._

 _Leyla sighed, running her long blue hair between her fingers. "I don't know, Mary. I don't want her to know anything about that rotten man, to be honest. He may have once been a nice guy, but after what experiments took place, I can't even think of him as human."_

 _Clover's father never appeared._

* * *

Aidan woke up being shaken by the newly dubbed Elliot the shellder and Fae, both looking a little bit panicked.

"Guys…?" He croaked, slowly sitting up. "What's wrong?"

Fae rubbed one of his cheeks and then he realized that it was wet- he had been crying. "Oh, sorry. I just had a sad dream." He wiped the tears away- he didn't normally have bad dreams- and for some reason he just could _not_ stop crying.

He didn't even feel that sad- it had been a nightmare. Of That night. It wasn't even his place to feel sad. "Hey… why do you think people bully?"

Fae and Elliot both looked surprised at the question- Aidan wonder what would have been the best course of action to keep them from being worried.

It was funny. Barely more than a week of training, and he was gifted with two adorable individuals who for some reason cared for him quite a bit- it was unusual. In the training books he had been reading, usually it was hard to get wild pokemon to be civil, much less actually care for your state of being. Fae, he could _kind_ of understand since she had been breed to get attached for a trainer, and the rattata incident had probably bolstered their relationship- but he was still a bit confused about Elliot.

Elliot was shy- Fae had even told him several times that the pokemon was watching from afar during their week of training. Elliot even fought off Fae for him- and both trainer and shellder alike were slightly terrified of the pink pudge.

" _I'd punch them in the face, Master!"_ Fae smirked confidently, standing tall.

Sure, the pokemon was dearly attached to him, but there was some _major_ issues with her that would take a while to work out. "That's not really…" Aidan sighed and gave up on the sentence halfway through. Even if she had answered the question he had asked, it'd probably be something like _Only the strong survive! I'd punch them in the face!_ or _I don't know, Master Aidan, but if they came at me, I'd punch them in the face!_

" _Their actions aren't good but they may have a reason for it. Still, and bully is a bully. Fae should punch them in the face if they deserve it."_ Elliot remarked mildly, wiggling his tongue a little as he talked.

Aidan flopped back on the pokecenter bed, fairly certain it was the same as the ones in hospitals. "Right?" He groaned, exhausted. He really wanted to go back to sleep and ignore his responsibilities, but he had a shopping list he needed to whittle away at.

" _Master Aidan, why do you have to carry_ him _with us on our stroll?"_ Fae whined, pointing at the shellder in his arms.

Aidan wondered if this was what parents with more than one child felt like, wanting to tape the cleffa's mouth shut. He loved her and all, but she acted like a three year old any time he tried to give the shellder attention. "Fae, he is a part of this team just as much as you or I. Be nice, okay?"

She giggled and gave him a sly smile as if they were sharing a secret. " _But you don't_ really _mean that Master Aidan, do you?"_

Aidan wondered if he needed to change his trainer license to a nanny license at this rate- and he wasn't even being paid for it. "For legends' sake, Fae. I did mean it." If she made a similar remark in the next minute, he swore she was being put in the ball.

" _Aidan, if it's easier to put me in the ball, it's fine. I don't mind."_ Elliot generously murmured, sounding upset but not acting on it.

Unlike the selfish cleffa, the shellder didn't hardly ever defend himself, and generally avoided any confrontation at all, with the exception of Aidan being the subject. He was pretty skittish and didn't let himself get angry- Aidan wasn't very sure and he didn't have enough time with him to confirm, but the trainer was getting the feeling the pokemon had a very low self esteem.

Aidan almost walked into a pokemart when he saw a near reflection of himself- but with long hair, a little bit of boobies, and some chub. _Oh, crap…_ He thought, wondering if it was too risky to shop at the store. Eventually, and probably not too much later in time, he was sure it would go away, but for now, it was a danger.

" _Hey, Master, that looks like you!"_ Fae cheerily said, tiny legs swinging off his shoulder.

"I noticed." He grumbled, tuning out something Elliot said in favor of analysing the information on the poster. It was pretty detailed- last seen, weight, and possible places were all listed. It was half against everything that he was standing for, but he nabbed a pull off with a number on it.

Not interested in the bickering around him, he checked out the poster next to it. The girl looked kind of like Clover herself, but she had longer hair, bigger breast, and in the picture, she was wearing a sleek black dress, gloves, and black boots- she looked really professional. Professional at assassination or desk work, Aidan wasn't sure, but she was pretty. Her name was Verde- and her eyes being so green was probably why.

An officer Jenny turned the corner across the street from Aidan, and so he almost walked into the mart to hide, when some was coming out of the mart at the same time as him.

It wasn't hard to identify her- after all, he had just seen her poster. "Y-you're Verde." He sputtered intelligently, looking from her and her poster and then her again.

" _Aidan?"_ Elliot asked, shifting slightly in his arms.

Her eyes got big and she looked at her poster and cursed, and then looked at his own poster.

"Huh. You're this Clover person, aren't ya?" She questioned, almost in a lax manner. Aidan then noticed her height- she was at least half a foot taller than he.

Aidan sighed. "Come on, that's not even fair." The chick was even in the same clothes as she was in her picture. He was crossdressing, cut his hair, and even made a fake identity!

Stomping came from across the street and before he knew it, Verde was dragging him away from the scene. "Shit!" She yelled, turning a corner.

Aidan was sure glad she did, but he honestly wasn't certain how much of it was him running or her arm power basically toting him like a purse. Officer Jenny's weak demands were being yelled far behind them, but that wasn't very reassuring in such a small town if backup was close.

A hour of running later, Aidan found himself in the midst of Route 2, the place he had originally planned to venture to in the next day.

He was sweaty and out of breath, but _finally_ the she-demon had released his numb wrist.

They panted and regained their breath for the minutes following, somehow absent of a annoying cleffa and timid shellder. Aidan almost began to panic, when he realized he had placed them in their balls mid chase.

"How did we even out run an arcanine?" Aidan groaned as he let himself fall on his butt- he was _exhausted_. Verde was seriously fast, and Aidan was seriously lazy most of the time, which meant he was very not fast.

Verde gave him a grin. "Smarts and ingenuity, my friend. But that was some _damn shitty luck_ , holy crap."

"That's not even the half of it." Aidan whined, suddenly noticing what was missing. "I left my bag in my room at the pokecenter, and I didn't even get the stuff I needed. I have to go back to _that._ " He didn't think there was much of a way he and his team were going to survive Viridian Forest without potions, antidotes, shelter, and food. But he also couldn't think of a way they could outrun a arcanine again and live, either.

He was even glad he left the pink plop of fury in her ball, because if he could _hear_ her screaming bloody murder at him in his head, he was sure she was going to be at least twice worse than that.

Verde walked up to him, in a classic thinking pose of chin in hand. "I guess since it's kind of my fault, I can get whatever you need."

"S-seriously?" Aidan was kind of shocked- he wasn't sure why, but a feeling in his gut told him that she didn't do things for free most of the time.

"Yeah, I mean, your crappy disguise probably would've fooled them for at least a little bit longer." She said, sighing. "So I don't mind."

"H-H-How is it crappy?!"

The two discussed the matter in detail- Verde was going to borrow his keys and money to buy the supplies and grab his bag, along while Verde also picked up her own stuff that she left.

"I need collateral." Aidan stated, trusting his gut that she probably would leave him there to die without an incentive to do what she said.

She gave him a really big, genuine smile- and tossed her three pokeballs at him. "You aren't half bad, kid. I'm taking Waterloo- my wigglytuff- with me for escape if necessary, but that'll be all. Now, undress."

"Ex-excuse me?" The boy coughed, unsure if he had actually just heard what he had heard. Surely, she hadn't just told him to undress. That was just… really really weird.

"I need a disguise, and I didn't bring anything but my pokeballs with me." She explained as if she were talking to a slow child. "So get out of your clothing. I'll trade with you so you aren't naked."

Aidan couldn't believe this was happening. "B-B-But-" He sputtered, mortified. He always changed in a bathroom, with the door locked- he didn't particularly hate his body too much, but he was extremely embarrassed about it. And in front of other people- oh legends his face was turning stiff just at the thought.

"It's not like you have a d-"

"Don't say it!" He cried, wanting to dissolve in the wind at that very moment.

She gave him a curious look. "Do you?"

He shook his head, placing his face in his hands. If only he could died of heart attack or something- he didn't want to do this. He did not want to do this at all- but unfortunately, it was necessary and he knew it. "Can we… It's just- we're out in the open in broad daylight!" He whined, so ready to be out of the situation he was about to cry.

A little while later, Aidan found himself waving Verde a momentary goodbye, now in a loose dress that was supposed to be skin tight- everything was too windy after being in pants and a shirt plus a vest- it was almost like being naked. Aidan was uncomfortable, but he couldn't do much more than pray it would be over quickly.

" _Ey' little bitch."_ Aidan looked around to see one of Verde's pokeballs open to see a _blastoise_ , of all things. It shadowed over the small trainer. A ditto and a _nidoqueen_ joined in the Super Tall and Threatening bunch.

"H-Hello." Aidan was _terrified_. Verde either stole them (which considering how many powerhouses were around him, he rather doubted that theory) or she was a badass. Aidan kind of wanted to stand up for himself, but all he could think was _yes, I am a little bitch, so please don't hurt me._

Before he knew it, Fae was out with her little arms struck out, as if she were a barrier of some sort. " _What business do you have with Master Aidan? Spit it out or die already."_

Aidan was still too busy being terrified shitless by the two entirely ridiculously large pokemon before him. If he hadn't he'd probably would've scolded the cleffa, but she was the one easily threatening gigantic pokemon on his behalf, so he figured this one time would be a-okay.

" _We're booooored."_ The nidoqueen complained, rolling around on her stomach like she was a little nidoran, appendages flopping and all.

" _Stupid clam, come out here and fix this problem."_

" _NO."_ The trainer hadn't even known pokemon could talk so loudly inside their pokeballs.

Somehow, the situation deteriorated in a strange game of capture the flag- or rather, capture the human.

Each behemoth of a pokemon had a pink pudge on their team- Kronos the blastoise with Fae being the team mastermind. Queens the nidoqueen was running around with not one, but _two_ Aidan's in her grasp. It was basically more chasing and tomfoolery more than a structured game, really. It was going on for about 20 minutes solid when the hapless trainer heard a confident meow.

" _Oh, that game looks totally bitchin'! Can I play?"_ '

Fae laughed- it almost sounded maniacal. " _If you help me acquire my trainer back, I'd even let you join the team! I'd do anything I can to repay you if we get Master in our possession."_

It took a while- mostly because Aidan was completely terrified he was going to die of fright seeing that creepy smile on almost an exact replica of his face, or the possibility of being poisoned to death by the jolly Queens' skin- but he could now see a skitty on the blastoise's shoulder as well.

Eventually, Aidan was saved from the madness- the skitty had unleashed a thoughtful adorable charm and tail whip combo, causing his large carrier to drop him like a fly to croon over the cuteness.

The cleffa marched up to her trainer- Aidan couldn't see her face, but he was sure it was full of pride. " _Master, Master Aidan, did you see that? I saved you! Didn't I do a good job? … Uh, Master Aidan?"_

The trainer was half asleep from exhaustion in the dirt, mumbling incoherently under his breath.

"Did you always look this way?"

He merely turned his head to see Verde talking to his ditto self, back with his wonderful clothes, pack and with a bag full of shopping supplies.

* * *

A little while later they were all around a campfire, Verde and her team, along with her wigglytuff, Waterloo, and Fae, Elliot, and the newly and forcefully named Skittles.

"Where is it?" Aidan growled at Verde, holding out an expecting palm.

"I-I was mobbed on the way back, you see-"

Aidan rolled his eyes. "Just return my money, will you?"

Dinner was fairly quiet- beans again, and simple questions from Verde over Aidan's general life- he guessed the poster and his current self would make anyone a little curious- but he was _so tired._

He recounted the hectic day's events- he didn't think he had ever had a day so full of complete nuttery. Waking up crying, not only seeing his own poster, but meeting the chick on the poster next to it- _and then being chased down by the entire Viridian police force itself for legends sake._ And not only that, but then changing clothes with Verde- thankful, Aidan had his back now- and then being the human flag in a perversion of capture the flag. And then that skitty literally popping into one of his pokeballs and naming itself in his pokedex. That last part was just as hard to believe as the rest of it- but the skitty was nice.

" _Stand back, bitches!"_ The skitty commanded, walking toward Aidan.

 _Skittles has a really foul mouth though._ Aidan thought to himself, just about ready to pass out- Verde was giving him a concerned look. Had he not been paying attention at all? Whoops.

" _Sir trainer dude guy, I'm starting to think you may have a small motherfucking concussion._ " Skittles said.

"Er… must you cuss so much, Skittles?"

The skitty's eyes seemed to to widen- somehow, and they weren't even open- in surprise. " _Oh, sorry trainer guy. I read in a bitchin'- oops, sorry- book on psychology. Apparently the appliance of curse words makes one more honest or something like that- and I strive to be the best mon'' I can, y'know? I can stop if you'd like."_

Aidan couldn't help a smile- the pokemon was hard not to like. She was constantly laughing, grinning, and he was kinda grateful that Skittles decided to join his team on a whim. He had asked her about it earlier- and all she could offer as reply was that it seemed like fun. "Mm, no, it's quite alright. Sorry. I'll get used to it. And I'm just tired- what's going on with all the medical stuff, anyway, Skittles?"

The skitty's tail wagged. " _My old pop's- he was a hospital pokemon. The place was nasty cray, like you wouldn't fucking believe, but between him and his trainer, I learned to read and some vocab of the place. And let me check you out, at least, trainer guy."_

Aidan subjected himself to being doctored by a skitty- probably one of the stranger things he'd done, but he didn't mind. He much preferred the funny Skittles to any doctor- Aidan hated sterile places. They made him upset, although he didn't really have a definitive reason for it. "It's Aidan, Skittles. You don't have to be so polite."

It was rather quiet. Verde was talking with her two power houses, the fire was crackling, and the nightlife of the forest made sounds, but beyond that- Aidan realized what happened to be not loud and obnoxious and irritating.

" _I reckon you're okay Aidan guy, you're just suffering from over exhaustion and slight sleep deprivation. Once you conk out and get some of those bitchin' z's, you'll be peachy as any motherfucker, you have my guarantee. Oh- and you should try eating some fatty foods or red meats-"_

"Where are Elliot and Fae?" Aidan blurted, unable to hold back his question any longer. He was worried- that combination only ever meant trouble and a headache, and not hearing them was more of a problem than not.

"They went in the forest with Dilly and Waterloo, don't worry. They just went to walk around the area. You should get some rest though, Aidan- you really don't look too good."

He snorted. "Thanks. And I will- just, in a little while." Aidan normally would've, but he felt that he should at least _look_ for them. He wouldn't be too worried about Fae- but Elliot had yet to receive any training, he knew the most basic two moves and, well, Fae was with him- that was a danger in of itself.

"Well, I tried." Verde yawned, sounding ready to turn in herself.

The trainer went on a mostly leisure stroll with the skitty in his arms, neither talking. Skittles was purring, though, and it was warm and nice- Fae was always on his shoulder or making a unsettling, rude comment on _something_ , and Elliot, while nice quiet company, was at least 50 percent shell- not the most comfortable of creatures to hold.

He just met the pokemon and they got along pretty well- then again, the skitty was something of a marvel in that department. She seemed ready to adapt to make everyone around her happy and well- she would make a get medical pokemon one day.

" _Aidan, you really should gain some weight. You're at the beginning of the climax of puberty and so skinny- for a human girl, it really isn't advisable."_ The skitty softly murmured, moving slightly.

Aidan looked down at the pokemon in wonder- she really was good with the health stuff. Well, then again- he had been in a dress, but after that, he changed into his normal clothes. "I'll consider it, I guess." The trainer half-lied, now feeling a little self-conscious. "Have you thought of going into the medical field, Skittles? You'd be great there."

The skitty took a beat of silence to give her answer. " _I guess I would, huh? But… I want to experience a lot, y'know? Live lively."_

He smiled again, finding the reply fitting. "Live mcfucking wild, huh?"

" _You should put that on my grave."_ The cute cat pokemon laughed, causing her purr to stumble.

Before the trainer could scold her for talking about her life so lightly, their items of interest appeared.

" _What did you say, you stupid clam? Say. It. To. My. Face."_

Aidan could see Elliot trembling in his shell, as the trainer had expected after Fae's threatening reproach. " _I-I think I j-just called you a pink pudge, that's what. Y-you can't only give me a shitty nickname! It's not fair!"_

" _How dare you call it shitty! Only I can say that you no good, stuuupid clam!"_

The pokemon he recognized as Dilly the ditto, sighed. " _What are y'all, hatchlings? Shut it already, will ya'?"_

Even from this distance, Aidan could see the dark face of Fae unfolding. " _Did you just threaten me, you rubbery pink funk?"_

" _Come on, pink pudge, I see Aidan! Leave Dilly alone, come on."_

The cleffa gave her teammate a sneer, muttering something under her breath before running up to Aidan. " _Master Aidan, Master Aidan! Look, we found this berry that supposed to work well on poisons!"_

" _Just on pokemon poison, pink pu- er, Fae. Besides- you didn't help at all, and Waterloo did all the work."_

Aidan was tired, and finally seeing his pokemon all in one piece, he just kind of collapsed to his knees. He supposed he should've been pulling Fae away from Elliot and forcing the two back to a tense partnership, but he was too tired. He was only going to close his eyes for one moment… Just for… a little second...

* * *

 _ **(Enter: Pickles, lv. 4. South-east Viridian Forest)**_

 _ **Day One:**_

Human entered forest today. He looked like baby-adult, had pink star and clam with him, and a pink kitty too. His team was cute like him. He was inside like baby- he tried not to cry when pink star beat him up.

Clam had to become next punching bag. Smart pink kitty laughed some.

Another girl. Older. Adult girl. She had the death smell on her. Not predators like today, but cute human baby-adult worried Pickles, so Pickles watched them for their first day in home.

The pink star pouted- she was not in fights, but Clam did, many. Pink star called Clam, Clam too. Pickles was happy because everyone had many names and it confused Pickles a lot. Pickles was Pickles and others were two or three things or maybe more and it hurt Pickles in the head.

Death-smell adult girl was nice to cute human baby-adult, and watched him with care. Pink Star did too. Pink Star looked cute, but was angry and punched a lot- mostly at cute human baby-adult.

Cute human baby-adult had a nice smell.

Pickles wanted to play too but he needed to find yummies to eat, so he left.

At night Pickles brained on what the Clam and others were doing. They seemed like fun. Pickles did not know why so much interest in baby-adult human, so Pickles wanted to continue watching.

 _ **Day Two:**_

Pickles woke up extra early to sniff up about the cute baby-adult human. He smelled good, but did everyone only like his smells?

Death smelling adult had not yet sniffed out Pickles, so Pickles thought not, because Pickles had been watching them close on this day.

Baby-adult human slept the longest. Pink Star woke up first, nuzzling human for while and moving Clam away. She tried to move Pink Cat as well but baby-adult human had his arm around it. Pickles wanted to help, but Pickles had no arms.

The deathy smelly dangerous adult girl went other place midday, leaving baby-adult and his pokemon.

Baby-adult was named something like _Me-star Eye-dam_ by Pink Star. It hurt Pickles head to switch it, but since Pickles won Clam, he thought he could do Me-star Eye-dam.

Me-star Eye-dam and Clam won a fight over the bug stealer, and bug stealer was like a predator. Pickles did not like it so he inched closer and closer over the next half-day.

Yummy time came and they ate- and Pickles could smell the bug stealer. Pickles did not like the shiny claw in the stealer's hand going into the Me-star Eye-dam. Pickles did not like red stuff or owies and he liked Me-star Eye-dam, and the Pink Star and Cat and Clam would be sad, so Pickles went to fight too.

Pickles did the water gun thing at the bug stealer when he was in eye distance of Me-star Eye-dam. For someone with a eye in their name, Pickles was upset he could not see very well.

" _Pickles stop!"_ Pickles said when he stopped the bug stealer and his shiny claw. Pickles hoped his voice reached their ears.

Clam and Pink Star- mostly Pink Star- bit and punched the bug stealer til he ran away and rest of day peaceful. Pickles got to play with them.

At night yummy time, Pickles did not want to go. Eye-dam gave Pickles food and everyone was fun. To stay, Pickles had to go into a ball thing and come back out. Then, for a weird 'name' thing, they called Pickles a 'wooper' and it made Pickles upset.

Pickles was Pickles, not wooper. Thankfully, Pink Cat stole the red square from Eye-dam and put in Pickles for Pickles. Pickles was confused, but after, everyone called him Pickles so it was okay.

Pickles liked how nice the Pink Cat was, so Pickles tried to call Pink Cat 'Skittles' or what it was. It made Pink Cat Skittles happy so Pickles didn't mind too much.

 _ **Week Three:**_

Pickles and Pickles friends found the noisy place. Eye-dam called it a 'city.' He was very happy to not be in forest anymore.

Pickles didn't like Pink Star Fae. She was mean and bullied Clam and Eye-dam, but she did not hurt Pink Cat Skittles for some reason.

Dangerous adult came and left a lot, but she was there everyday. It confused Pickles, but everyone had trouble understanding Pickles, so Pickles could not ask.

Pickles would miss Pickles home, but Pickles would be happy to leave. They were nice, and dangerous adult person was not scary to them. And, Pickles could get away from Mama. That also made Pickles happy.

Skittles tried to explain to Pickles what a 'gym battle' was, which they would do in the noisy city place. It confused Pickles, but it sounded like big battle, and Pickles was excited.

Eye-dam was fun to fight with. Pickles got hurt sometimes, but Eye-dam would worry and cry a bit, and not like Mama. Eye-dam never hurt Pickles, and hugged Pickles, and was very nice to Pickles. Pink Cat Skittles taught Pickles about a lot of stuff, and made Pickles laugh although Pickles did not understand many of his jokes. Clam told Pickles 'folklore' and scary stories and was fun for Pickles. Pink Star Fae was not nice and a little bit like Mama, but she was strong and Pickles knew she wasn't a bad pokemon. She was very fond of Eye-dam and had funny word fights with Clam.

Pickles was more than happy to leave home, and go with Eye-dam and his friends.

* * *

Aidan hated forests. They were itchy and enclosed. Sure they were pretty at first, but all the night noises were very not worth it.

He vowed never to go back to the Viridian Forest if he could help it. It was a whole three weeks of his life he would never get back- but, it did come with perks. He somehow caught a wooper- a strange little guy called Pickles, who was surprisingly strong. He was pretty young- Skittles told Aidan only about seven or eight months old. He also had never had much interaction with humans before- the cute little guy still spoke in third person and everything.

Fae was kind of creeped out by him- it was kind of funny. She didn't mess with Skittles because- well, Aidan was pretty sure it was impossible to hate the skitty.

Elliot was still coming out of his shell- no pun intended- but he was becoming less nonconfrontal with Fae, which was a huge plus. He hadn't won yet, but he was stronger- Aidan was pretty happy the long hours of training were actually helping the guy.

Skittles didn't seem to like battling a whole lot- she offered to, but Aidan declined. The pokemon wasn't _that_ underleveled and Aidan wasn't desperate, with three other member to attend to. Level four wouldn't kill him, Aidan was pretty sure.

Almost everyday of the three weeks they had spent in Viridian Forest, Verde left to do 'promiscuous things', Aidan stopped asking after that. If anyone could get up to 'promiscuous' events in a forest, they earned it to keep from being snooped.

When they left the forest, Verde had said she had business in the city to take care of, but if Aidan needed money, she had a job for him.

Aidan hadn't really thought about it when he was in the forest, but the little crumbs of money that the bug fanatics dished out after losing, was most certainly not enough to replenish his wallet. And, being the forest for so long, he had long lost his potions, foods, and antidotes in the midst it.

Basically, he was broke, he had no supplies or money to buy some to face the gym leader, and there were absolutely no trainers he could fight to get money. Aidan had actually tried to fight some too- there was a hot spot at the city exit to Mt. Moon, but a police officer wouldn't allow him to pass, for whatever reason.

So, Aidan decided to take the job.

It gave him connections, job experience, and a new mind of fortitude, but he would probably never recover his self worth after it.

* * *

 _ **Team Line-up:**_

Fae the cleffa- lv. 11

Elliot the shellder- lv. 6

Skittles the skitty- lv. 4

Pickles the wooper- lv. 9

 _ **Death Box:** _ N/A

 _ **Location:**_ Pewter City

 _ **Next time:**_ Forecasts spot a high chance of maid cafes and gym battles, oh my! (Slight side effects of tasting the rainbow have been reported.)


	3. Chapter 3

Ahoy thar! Sorry if this chapter is a bit out of sorts- I've been fighting with writing it for most of the chapter. ;a; But it's almost 8000 words so that's something, right? And thanks again, anonymous Risa :D it really does mean a lot. Now, please enjoy!

 _ **This time:**_ Forecasts spot a high chance of maid cafes and gym battles, oh my! (Slight side effects of tasting the rainbow have been reported.)

* * *

 _The flames licked hungrily at the air, ravenously devouring the house without mercy. Sirens screeched their earsplitting noises from far away, the lights flashing vibrantly in the night. Tortured sobs of heart wrenching pain were coming from her friend, embraced in the quiet but equally effected grandfather Oak._

 _Eleven year old Clover could little comprehend the scene before her. She was only able to watch in baffled silence, holding her crying mother._

 _She understood what had happened. But, she really didn't want to._

 _This night would change their lives forever._

 _"C'mere, baby." Her mother cooed with a fragile expression, trembling arms taking in her child, as if to protect her from the world._

 _It was a little belated, but Clover began to cry, too._

* * *

Aidan felt his heart quiver as he stared down the impressive building. It was _huge_! He figured it had to be for the rumored onix on Brock's team, but the thought of an onix didn't make his panic any less. He tried to swallow but he had a hard lump in his throat. "A-Are you guys sure you want to do this? We can always train in the woods for a while longer…" He looked to his pokemon, hopefully.

" _Pickles."_ Said the wooper, fidgeting and moving around, smiles as ever.

 _That's one no…_ He thought, crossing his fingers, grimmly.

The cleffa gave him a cocky grin- one he really did not like. Didn't Fae know they were going into a rock gym, where she would be pretty useless? But if she didn't know, he most certainly wasn't going to tell her, because she'd just get offended and probably try to take on the entire gym herself. " _Don't worry, Master Aidan! I'll protect you!"_

He shook his head. _How does she always answer so wrong?_ He wondered in a strange concoction of befuddlement and awestruck.

" _I… I can do this!"_ The one pokemon he thought would for sure be on his side, Elliot, cheered, having a burst of courage.

" _I'm ready to slice and dice a bitch, just give me the order, Aidan guy."_ the ever so eloquent skitty purred, licking her paw.

Aidan was fairly confident he was going to break down sometime in the battle. He had two cutesy normal types would really couldn't do much, a shellder that could take a hit but not anything else, and the one pokemon who could actually dish out some fierce water gun had a limited vocabulary of pickled products.

Aidan wondered if he could push ahead his breakdown, because he was really feeling it. His only distraction from the badge was the vague job Verde offered him. He had no money, no items, no nothing, really. He'd be happy to have a distraction before the gym battle- _he was so not looking forward to that_ \- if it weren't a job from Verde. He was almost as terrified of what lay ahead in store for him in the job, just as he was scared of the battle looming in the distance.

* * *

The job was everything Aidan had never thought it would be.

 _Maid Cafe._ Aidan still couldn't believe- he was relieved, but shocked, still. He wasn't smuggling bodies. He wasn't shooting at politicians. He hadn't had to carry strange mysterious bags on his person from point a to point b. He had not had to outrun the police or distract them and the best part was the job was even completely legal-

"Just what kind of life do you think I lead?" Verde snorted, giving the trainer an unimpressed look.

He struggled for words, surprised. "Sorry- did I really say that out loud?"

"Yes, you dork. Now, are you going to take the job? Even short jobs like this won't last long in Pewter."

Aidan nodded vigorously. "Of course! It's the only way I can think of saving up for the gym- thank you so-"

A giggle almost maniacal and dark stopped him short- Verde was grinning widely and from the three and a half weeks they had known each other, Aidan was completely sure it was at his expense. "Don't thank me just yet, little maid."

Aidan didn't think he liked it when Verde laughed like that.

Aidan hadn't ever had a job- his mother always told him he wasn't going to do well in one. But, this once, Aidan wanted to think his mother was wrong.

Sure, Verde was batshit horrifying- the first day, he actually started to cry. He had to excuse himself to the bathroom- he was glad he didn't have to act like a guy yet. For almost all of his journey so far, he had been in the wilds, with only Verde's company for a part of it, and she knew his real identity already. And he hadn't really interacted with anyone in the two cities, aside from Nurse Joys who he didn't really have to worry about.

It was a bit of a bad habit, but Aidan cried a bit too easily for his liking. However, in this job, it seemed to add to his 'moe' appeal. He had heard of the term discussing anime with people online at home, but he had no clue what it actually meant.

Aidan, or rather, _Evie_ , apparently did pretty well with the customers, thanks to Verde's work.

Somehow, Verde managed to fix the mess that had been his hair- he did a crappy job of it right before leaving home, and after a month of little care, had grown crappier- into something pretty cute. Then, Verde did make-up saying there was a lot to be fixed- Aidan _wanted_ to be offended, but with how little care he had given his appearance in the wild, he bit his tongue knowing Verde was probably right.

It was like looking at someone else in the mirror- Aidan had been mystified and almost touched, before Verde slammed the eevee ears on his head and put him in a maid costume with an eevee tail attached and told him to bark.

Considering this was Aidan's first time at the job, he only started out cleaning tables and writing down orders during the downtime, giving the more experienced workers a break.

Verde was always shouting at him, ordering him to do it better, or scrub harder, but the place seemed to run smoothly under her care. It wasn't fun being called a mongrel or asked rhetorical questions like 'were you raised in a barn?' (and far worse, but Aidan didn't care to recount those) but she always apologized and treated him to food when work was done, after seeing how upset it make Aidan the first day.

And, it wasn't all bad. All sorts of people came in to the place, but the regulars were mostly miners. He had been a tad creeped out at first- they were mostly men and at _least_ ten years older than him, but they were very friendly. They tipped well, and they even stopped a customer that was potentially danger for one of the staff- Chany, the chansey maid who liked to say cheesy stuff like "I'll heal you with my love!" and stuff like that. She was very nice- apparently a herbal medicine student of the area, too. She was interested in toxins especially.

The other staff members, however, were not so nice. Maybe it was because Verde was attentive to him in general, as they were… Were they friends? Aidan didn't really know, but they got along well. Amy the ampardos maid hadn't spoken a word to him, and Free the butterfree maid just outright disliked Aidan.

Aidan wasn't so unused to bullying- when he went to public school in Viridian, he was bullied some, although not usually physically.

Free talked about him when he was in hearing distance and stuff. Aidan didn't like it, but he knew that he had earned some of the stuff she said about him. He _was_ clumsy- he had broken four glasses and completely dropped two dishes, and plenty enough, he messed up an order, especially at the beginning. He got flustered sometimes with the customers when they tried to make conversation with him- he was constantly nervous.

But on the second week, Verde let him bring Skittles with him, once figuring out about the problem. It helped in most situations, but there was still one time the trainer just kind of… lost his nerve.

Aidan had been jotting down the orders of a married miner duo- they were quite awesome, really. Their names were Miria and Isaac, and they always making conversation with him, while also letting him not really say anything. And the one time- the only time they ever asked him a question, he got frazzled.

"Where are you from, Miss Evie-chan?" Miria had asked, with that grin she always wore- the couple were never _not_ smiling or laughing.

He sputtered, trying to think he if should lie or not. They wouldn't be able to figure out he was being looked for, could they? He and Verde had checked out the town upon arrival, searching for posters and notifications of themselves, but found nothing. Their trek in the forest had done the magic trick for them, really.

But, what if someone was listening and figured it out? Or a police person with the information still in their head found out? Aidan wasn't normally very paranoid, but he also really wasn't in his element.

Pewter was a new place- he had never been there. It was different than going to Viridian because he was used to it. And he had only ever lived in Pallet- there were never faces you didn't know. There weren't very many people. It was the definition of peaceful.

So many people, everywhere, the cityfolk never sleeping, Pewter was like a living creature that had gobbled him up. It was no Celadon, he guessed, but it was many times bigger than Pallet, and his brain started to short circuit from all the stress. His pokemon were mostly watching television for hours in their room at the Center and he had felt uneased everyday at the work without them after a month of constant companionship. Aidan felt weak and exposed without their presence and protection. And that didn't even bring up the upcoming gym challenge- that was a stress bomb all on its own.

Everything was just so stressful, and Aidan needed _air._ "Pall- I can't- I-I don't want- can-"

"Master Evie is very shy. She is from the Viridian outskirts- please don't mind this." Verde said in a polite manner to the customers when noticing the severe stuttering that was Aidan.

Aidan didn't usually get worked up- heck, almost never. Pallet Town was like sitting under warm sun beams- it was relaxing just being there, and there was never a whole lot of pressure to do anything. No animosity stained the people- everyone was well meaning and there was never any surprises. Everyone around him was been like family, and he didn't have to worry about screwing up or being alone- simply put, he was home in Pallet Town.

Compared to that, Pewter City was like a manically charged monster devouring him little by little, day by day.

The cafe at that moment felt like it was closing in on him, the throat of the monster swallowing him alive. "I- I'm sorry, Verde!" He squeaked, before rushing out the door and throwing something over his shoulder about his break.

If his head hadn't been so fuzzy, he would've realised that not only did he leave his boss in a situation, but he was walking around the city in maid cosplay. He would've been embarrassed or mortified, but he couldn't think anything much till he found himself at the edge of town, gasping for breath. Had he run? He couldn't remember.

He kind of just collapsed to his knees- he felt better, but instantly regretted it, realizing what he had just done. He had not only run out on customers, but on his job, and Verde. Verde was going to kill him.

He was so happy his work stopped after the week ended- instead of money, Verde was going to stock him up with supplies for the trip through Mount Moon and enough to fight Brock. Only five more days for him to get through.

He sighed- he was exhausted, and he wanted to hear the clam and the pink pudge fight, and get exasperated with the silly wooper- who, coincidentally, really loved pickles. He wanted to have strangely enlightening and fun and soothing conversations with the skitty. He was missing Pallet Town, but he had been mistaken about it being his home.

Those four, cutesy, crazy pokemon were his home, he realized. They were what he woke up to, dreamed about, laughed with, and slept with. They were now his protection and his charges- it was a different type of home, but a home nonetheless.

Aidan shot up with renewed energy- he was going to use his tips at the end of the week to buy pickles treats and all sorts of goodies for his pokemon after the gym battle. They were probably going to rent bad movies and eat ice cream, and it may have been small, but Aidan was excited about it.

He could get through this.

* * *

As expected, Verde was furious. The couple were gone- but she had done a great job entertaining them, apparently.

The rest of the week went especially well, somehow. Aidan was pretty proud of Skittles- she had been apparently acting as a impromptu leader for his pokemon, finding things that he would need to work on with them, cheering them up, and occasionally ripping them away from the television. Fae had been pumping them up with excitement for the battle ahead and even tried to help Aidan cook dinner- she actually made it a bit more difficult, but the thought was appreciated a lot. Pickles had been learning new words thanks to Skittles, and Elliot and Fae had gotten massively infatuated with Hoennese dramas.

He had thought it many times, that Skittles would make a much better therapist rather than a battle mon'. He was grateful to have her- she always knew exactly what to do, and made him relax just by being there- but he couldn't help but think it.

For the rest of the week, with Skittles' encouragement at home, the trainer even managed to talk to the regulars a lot- it was even kind of fun once he was relaxed. Even with Free's attitude multiplying. Verde had been beyond furious, probably, but she was concerned for him through it all, which was nice.

On his last day, Miria and Isaac gave him their number, to call them if he ever needed anything. As well as Chany, who had been like a older sister the during the time, teaching Aidan what and how. And some of the miners crowd even cried- they may have looked menacing, but they were some of the nicest people he ever met.

* * *

Verde treated him to ice cream after the long day and they talked about the battle ahead.

"The only one able to even deal damage is that weird wooper of yours, y'know." She stated bluntly, looking far more normal in her skirt and shirt then Aidan did in his maid outfit in public, but he was almost proud to wear it now. It was embarrassing and mortifying, but he had actually grown kind of fond of the thing. Horrifyingly enough.

Skittles napped in his lap, snoring quietly. _How cute._ Aidan thought with a small smile. Through the strange two weeks he had, he really felt like he and his pokemon got closer- as did they, too, after being wholed up in the room for most hours of the day. He walked them around town after work everyday, but they were close to their limit- or rather, he was. They were getting way too into those Hoennese dramas- even Pickles! He had to force them to go on walks now.

"Pickles isn't weird. And I know- two of my pokemon can't even battle, Elliot can only get hit, and I doubt he can take too much- Pickles has water gun and that's about the extent of my offense. I'm actually kind of terrified." Aidan confessed, putting his head in his hands. One stress ended and another started- he liked training and traveling better in almost every way, although he had a bed, which was much nicer than a sleeping bag and the ground.

Verde snorted. "Yeah, he's as normal as you are."

"I'm not weird." Aidan grumbled, feeling worn out from the long day.

"Sure, sure. Whatever you want." She laughed lightly, which was a much better alternative to her evil one.

Aidan didn't say anything for a moment, enjoying the setting sun. "Anyway… since you have a scary strong team, do you have any advice?"

A serious look found itself on Verde's face. "Don't you dare do it half way. There is no running in a gym battle, Aidan. You fight til the end- smart as you can, and harder than hard. You lead that team like your fucking life is on the line."

Aidan was now sitting up, stunned by the overwhelming answer. "Y… Yes ma'am." He hadn't really expected a reply of that magnitude, but the fierceness and wariness in her eyes suggested a lot behind those words.

A small beat of silence overtook them for a moment.

She groaned. "I'm not a ma'am, I'm not that old yet!"

"Are you going to come watch?" Aidan asked, purposefully changing the subject before she went on a long rant about her age again.

She nodded. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, kid."

"Verde?"

She gave him a slight smile. "Yeah?"

Aidan couldn't help but think that without the job or support, he really wouldn't have been able to even consider taking on the gym. And while Verde was a little strange, she was one of his few precious friends. The words laid thick on his tongue and he could barely force them out, a little emotional. "Thank you. For everything. I really mean-"

Verde put a hand on his mouth, with a amused look. "I know you are, Aidan. But don't be such a sap, it's gross." She kept her hand on his mouth for a moment, sighing. She looked left, then right, and then back at Aidan. "I, uh… You have a place here, dork. If you ever need it."

"Now who's sappy?" He chuckled a little, turning his attention to his ice cream after Verde retreated to her previous position.

"What are you talking about?... I didn't say a word." She said with a smirk, stealing the rest of Aidan's cone.

* * *

The gym trainer had been a easy defeat with Pickles- he was pumped with the promise of pickles in his future.

"You were totally awesome, Pickles!" Aidan said, snatching the pokemon into his arms. Pickles was their only offense- but he was doing well. Very well. Two of Pickles' water guns had taken down a geodude- the rock type had gotten in a tackle, but it barely fazed the wooper. Pickles had even used it for a close ranged attack without an order to do so- the little guy was well suited to battling.

" _Pickles relish?"_ The pokemon murmured, his black little eyes looking straight into Aidan's with the most emotional look he had seen on the wooper, besides the time he had called Pickles a wooper.

He couldn't help but smile at the strange sentence and the look together. "Er… Are you hungry, buddy? Or is that not it?"

Pickles may have been a good battler, but he had few words outside of pickled products, for some reason. During their almost month and a half together, Aidan had gotten better at conversing with him. However, Skittles still had him beat by a long shot. Fae was tempered at ever in general, but had recently gotten along better with Elliot. The two were totally enchanted with the drama specials- and he could use it to get them to be civil to each other- it would've been a blessing in disguise had it not been so hard to get them to _sleep_.

The aquatic creature shook his head, his funny little pink things brushing against Aidan's exposed arms. " _Pickles… relly? Relly awesause?"_

The trainer's smile widened into a grin, amused and happy to be of service. "Yeah, little guy. You were awesome! Like-"

His face completely dropped when he realized his mistake- but for once, it seemed to have gone over the pokemon's head. Aidan sighed in relief, a mini catastrophe avoided. Every time they went in for a check-up at the center (Aidan went three times in the last couple days, nervous if any abnormalities were present in his pokemon before the battle) the nurse Joy always referred to Pickles as a wooper or cute nicknames that were supposed to be soothing- Aidan had to keep Pickles from using his new slam attack on the nurse. Several times. He had bruises to prove it.

" _Pickles very awesause! Eye-dam yummy?"_ The wooper shook its head again. " _Eye-dam… hap… happy?"_

Aidan wasn't sure to if he wanted to cry because Pickles was just so adorable, or how much it made his heart ache. From Skittles' or from Pickles' own mouth, Aidan was starting to piece together a really unhappy picture of Pickles' past. Really, really unpleasant and unhappy. He honestly wasn't sure how the little guy was a little ball of sunshine almost all the time.

Aidan needed to pick up a book on the subject- Skittles had recommended one for him, when he confronted Aidan on the about it. One Mr. Pokemon and Prof. Elm's _Guide to Young Pokemon Mental Care._ It was a Johtoian book, so it would be more difficult to find, but well worth it.

"Yeah, b-Pickles. Very happy. Are you up for another battle Pickles? A big one? If not, we can go to the room and come back tomorrow."

Aidan had picked up some psychology books on babies, but with the growth speeds of both mentally and physically were hard to compare. Most pokemon were almost able to protect themselves as little children, and depending on the type, a little more independent from the mothers. There were just so many different factors playing and stuff- it amazed Aidan, while also baffling him sometimes. It was really interesting- but it just made him more confused all the same. _Does this apply to him? Does it not? Does his faster mental growth as a pokemon also apply to emotion? What if its stunted?_ So in the end, he only came out with more questions, really.

The wooper gave him a big, honest smile, nodding. " _Pickles go!"_

To be honest, despite having the big stamp on the Pewter Gym card stating his win against the gym trainer, Aidan only felt more nervous, not less. It was a trainer's job to know what to do- but he had never fought a gym leader before- it scared him. He didn't know _what_ to do. He could see the gigantic onix, being so strong that Pickles couldn't even dent it. It could possibly wipe out Elliot in a single hit, if Pickles needed a break and some handy potion healing. Aidan was scared he would fail his pokemon. So many things could go wrong, that trying to be optimistic about it seemed impossible, or even perverse.

"Are you just going to stand there forever, or did I waste my time taking off?"

Aidan flinched out of his thoughts, seeing a wild Verde before him, and Pickles now pulling on his arm sleeve, trying to get his attention. He gave his friend a weak grimace that was supposed to be a smile. "H-Hi, Verde. Haven't really decided-"

"Get your ass in gear, Aidan. What have you been doing, taking and traveling with these creatures under your care? Training them for nothing? Living a con act?" She snarled, suddenly pulling him a bit off the ground with a fierce grip on his collar. "Well, Aidan?" She spat. "What?!"

"N-no, b-but he has an onix! Everyone is so tiny, a-and-"

"Those," Verde said in a quiet, more venomous tone, "are the words of cowards. You came here knowing that, correct? So what? Do you not have confidence in your pokemon, in the confidence they've placed in you? Are you going to run with your fucking tail between your legs, Aidan?"

He realised he had started to think they couldn't defeat it. But he had seen Gary's name and countless more scratched into the walls- it wasn't like it was impossible. They had been training, for ages, working up money just for this moment. It wasn't fair for him to cower when they hadn't even tried to fight yet. "You're right." Aidan whispered, swallowing. His throat was dry.

"You go lead that team to victory, kiddo."

The next few minutes were a bit blurry. Someone told him he needed to choose three pokemon- which he already knew from looking it up, and he was pretty sure it was the gym leader talking to him. And without realising it, he was in the challenger's box with his three pokemon behind it, and Verde holding Fae's locked ball.

" _Pickles!"_ Pickles chirped, prancing around his feet, waiting for the referee. Pickles hadn't been deterred at all, by the thought of a big battle, Aidan reminded himself. Skittles and Elliot had both agreed, and even pushed him into the challenger box, all eager and grins. They were going to win. They had to. There was no time like the present, right?

" _ **Go!"**_

Pickles tottered onto the field across from a geodude- however, this one looking more skilled and empowered than the ones previous. The thought brought back Aidan's fears- but he forced himself to swallow them down, and pretend. He was going to pretend that his trembles and wide eyes and hoarse voice were because he was very, very excited. That's how people changed themselves. Faking it til they made it. Or at least, that's what he always heard. "Water gun, Pickles!"

"Go right through it, Geodude! Show it your strong tackle attack!"

Brock, the gym leader, seemed to constantly smile so far. Aidan hoped maybe the battle would change his game face, or at the very least, that the gym leader didn't have room to be cocky. "Feint to the side, Pickles!"

And the two small pokemon were off, the geodude launching itself with a mysterious force through the water gun. However, at the last second, the wooper side stepped and avoided most of the damage. When he could get a clear view of the pokemon, it was obviously a lot more tired than it had been, but it probably still had a good and decent two thirds of health on the accurate pokedex reading. "Keep it up, Pickles!"

"Defense curl and tackle, Geodude!"

The rock pokemon was pulling off a strange combination of defense curl and tackle at once- it was like a slow motion cannon ball, or a incomplete recreation of the move roll out. The constant water gun attack seemed to be wearing it out a lot, but the speed it was traveling at was still dangerous.

When the geodude seemed on its last move, Brock shouted out, "Launch yourself off the rock for greater velocity!"

Pickles was still doing alright, but not great. His water stream wasn't as strong and he looked a little winded- Aidan knew he needed to wrap it up quick, and that if the geodude's offense connected, that the wooper wasn't going to stay steady too much longer. "Jump over it, Pickles!" The small blue amphibian barely managed to jump above the geodude- who sped out of bounds, into the wall. Aidan hadn't afforded much of a look after that, but it looked like it had fainted in exhaustion.

" _ **Now is the time for switch outs!"**_

"Come back, Pickles!"

Said pokemon trotted back with a worn, but happy expression. " _Pickles… Pickles awesauce, Eye-dam?"_

The trainer grinned, petting the pokemon gently on the head for a moment. "Absolutely, Pickles. You did _super_ awesome." The wooper fell on his butt, now catching his composure. Aidan turned his attention from one blue companion to the other, seeing the shellder trembling in his shell, but with a brave face. "You ready, Elliot? You won't have to stall but for a moment or two- I promise."

" _I-I was b-born ready, Aidan."_ Elliot sputtered, tongue shuddering in his movement.

He pat the shellder on his back. "You got this buddy, I promise you."

" _D-don't h-h-have to t-tell me t-t-twice!"_

His stuttering had gotten worse, but Aidan could only feel proud of his pokemon- his terrified clam, now trying to be brave for his trainer, for the wooper who could confidently attack for them in their drolls and his skitty, always trying to better himself, or better his companions. It was a bit of a ragtag team for the field, but Aidan didn't think he would ever forget the moment. Fae wasn't there, which was a little sad, but it felt more honest, without her brave- or stupid, because he was never really sure- leading of the team with unbridled spirit.

The trainer and the three of them there- none of them were particularly brave, but no one was running away even from what lied ahead- that was what made Aidan proud. He had felt scared, but he was there, with them, and they were already half way there! Aidan almost felt confident they could win this, with the last round.

That confidence, however, would not stay much longer.

" _ **Go!"**_

"Onix!"

"Elliot!"

The first part of the battle was just painful- Aidan was healing up Pickles, with the shellder valiantly standing strong against the powerful onix's attacks- Elliot could only take two thwacks of the gigantic tail, but that was long enough for Pickles to be up and running like new.

"Come back, Elliot, and go, Pickles! Water gun!"

Elliot came running back- not damaged in anyway a potion or a center couldn't quickly fix, but scared plenty none the less. Aidan wanted to give the pokemon props, but the pressing battle was at hand.

"Pickles, try a water gun right in on its horn!"

Pickles was strongly tackled a long distance back into Aidan's wobbily grasp- who was now at a cross road. Pickles could finish the onix off- it was beginning to look ragged and tired, and only one or two more attacks would finish it off. Elliot, however, was in no shape to go back to the fight. The onix would take him out with one more attack and Aidan had no time to go about healing him- he only had a potion or two, which would have to be spent on Pickles, anyway.

" _Woman up, motherfucker. I got this."_ Skittles marched up to him, realising his internal strife.

"You aren't built for this, Skittles! Y-"

The skitty wasn't trembling, nor was she wavering in her voice, She seemed strong and prepared to take on anything, and it would be alright. But Aidan could tell she was scared from the look she gave him. _I can't do this,_ he thought. _I won't._ He wanted to be persuaded by the confidence she was trying to feed him, but he couldn't. Aidan had never seen her scared before. He didn't like the omen descending in his gut- he prayed for a miracle. He thought up every legend and religion he could think of and prayed for a moment. He officially recalled Pickles by announcing it out loud.

" _I'm gonna go mcfucking wild, Aidan guy. Don't you dare try to stop me. You know what needs to happen."_

"Skittles! We'll think of something!"

" _Life isn't all cherries, Aidan! Sometimes you just have to do it!"_

He immediately set to work spraying potions and murmuring what was hopefully comforting words to his other two pokemon on the field. He ignored the bad, unmoving feeling in his gut as the potion quickly began to work and the nimble skitty seemed to deftly dodge hits again and again.

"I'm recalling my pokemon and sending out Pickles!" Aidan wanted to cry he was so thankful- the skitty was on her way back and Pickles, freshly renewed was hopping back to the field and _-fuck!_

The small cat soared in the air after a sickening _crunch!_ in a symphony of grotesque sounds he had never heard before, with a soft mewl afterwards.

Aidan lurched forward to catch Skittles' airborne body, which landed limply in his arms. Her normally warm body felt… wrong. Wrong as anything had ever possibly ever been, her form in a completely unnatural position, growing dead with an apathetic cold seeping into her. Her broken body vibrated in a perversion of a purr as she coughed, small specks of blood flying out of her mouth. " _Aida… n…"_ Skittles gasped, trying to nuzzle into his chest with her last ounce of strength. He could feel her grow lifeless and limp in his arms.

She had just been talking to him, hadn't she? The liar. Aidan could feel tears drop from his cheeks unwillingly- he hadn't even quite processed it and they were already leaking out of his eyes.

Someone else's hands were trying to move his hands- he knew they were trying to put her back into her pokeball, but irrationally was it was, he wanted to keep her warm with his body as long as possible. He didn't want her to go. He really didn't want her to go.

" _ **Does the challenger wish to continue the battle? If so, they must send out their next pokemon on field within the next thirty seconds."**_

Whoever- in the farest corner of his mind, he knew it was Verde, but he was so foggy he couldn't sense it- had been trying to take Skittles from his arms succeeded and he slowly stood up- and found himself in the challenger's box, looking at Pickles who was still smiling. He was still smiling, but tears were dribbiling down his cheeks. The trainer- who, still kind of felt emotionless at the moment- rubbed the wooper's eyes and looked at him.

"Pickles. Will you go?" Aidan asked, feeling all of the early rampant emotions drained from his body, leaving a husk that only owned his appearance and his voice.

The pokemon nodded. " _Pickles… go."_

The onix didn't have much of a chance of beating the wooper at full health, now nursing battle wounds of the heart. A full river of water launched out of the small Pickles' mouth and washed over the large rock snake- which was returned. Aidan didn't know how much later it was, only that he was staring at Skittles' murderer until a red light enveloped it and only left its space.

He returned Elliot without saying anything- they were probably going to talk about it later. But that was later so he put his attention to the next pokemon on his list- Pickles. Who didn't look so good.

He ran to the stumbling wooper, who should've been at full health and shouldn't have sustained any damage- until he saw a small purple spike embedded in the wooper's foot. Immediately, he looked up to see a lot of children that looked similar to Brock on the catwalk- who he guessed were Brock's siblings. They were yelling something about being mean to onix.

He was angry.

Very very angry.

Quickly, he rummaged through his bag- he couldn't lose two today, he couldn't even handle having lost _one_ \- and there it was. The last potion. One that could've maybe saved some of what happened in the gym- but then again, it was going to save something now.

Aidan quickly sprayed it all over the wooper's body, glad for his amphibian skin that would easily soak it up. His pokedex read that Pickles' health went from three points to twenty three- that would let them get to the pokecenter. He was sure of it.

He stormed his way out, with Brock at the front, trying to give him a badge or something- he couldn't think straight. All he could do was scream at the gym leader- Aidan had called back Skittles. He had. And then- it was Brock's ordering the onix that killed her. It wasn't fair. It wasn't _fair._

" _Life isn't all cherries!"_ He wanted to cry just at hearing her voice pop up in his memory.

But instead, he tried to gather all his hate and energy- it was Brock's onix that had killed Skittles, and it was his horrible, terrible sibling's toxic spikes that had almost taken Pickles away too. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" His voice was broken and raw, and he think it was the loudest he had ever, ever screamed- it would even be heard to the cafe, he reckoned.

Brock was a murderer. But it was legal. But he was a killer. Aidan hoped the gym leader knew that- it probably wasn't his first time, and maybe it happened a lot and maybe he felt bad about it- but Aidan didn't think he was capable of ever forgiving the man who had happened to be the cause of what almost killed Pickles and he damn sure was never going to forgive the cause of what killed Skittles.

He knew he just mostly needed someone to blame.

It was pathetic.

But, all the same, he still needed a scapegoat for it.

* * *

He had spent two days outside of the ICU. Pickles wasn't in intensive care anymore, but they were still flushing the poisons out of him and making sure his sensitive skin wasn't badly damaged.

Aidan went in as long as visitors were allowed, and camped out in the hall waiting, unable to sleep, and unable to stop worrying.

He could still feel Skittles final breath leaving her, all the wrongs of the little pieces of bone in her.

Aidan wasn't going to let Pickles go due to any part in his negligence; it wasn't even really a choice of his to make. He just couldn't stop worrying about the wooper, and three hours of visiting time wasn't going to make the little guy feel not lonely. Pickles even fought and finished the battle after Skittles died- everything for the team was not going alright.

Aidan had been with Elliot a lot in the passing two days. They talked about Skittles a lot- or, Elliot had. Aidan didn't think- couldn't think straight at all, really- he could take it, telling Fae. Sure, she and Elliot weren't as close to her as Pickles, but they were very much team mates. They were family.

Elliot had been a bit hysterical at first. But seeing something in his somber, tensed trainer either calmed him down or shut him up- Aidan wanted to apologize about all his one word responses, but he wasn't going to be able to even form a coherent sentence til Pickles was out of the danger zone. Elliot babbled on about- well, a lot of things, in his trainer's silence.

" _Aidan, what's your favorite color?"_ The shellder tried, forcing his body under his trainer's limp arm.

"Mm."

" _Aidan, are you okay?"_

"Mm."

Elliot sighed, blowing some air out. It made his tongue wiggle- it always made Aidan laugh before. This time, however, Aidan didn't even seem to notice at all.

" _Aidan, do you think I'll be way cooler and tougher when I evolve into a cloyster?"_ The pokemon tried again, mostly doing it now for his own amusement. The shellder was worried about Pickles too, but the storm had passed. The nurse Joy had said everything was going smoothly, and it was mostly rest and flushing the wooper's fluids for now. Aidan was still in shock from Skittles' death, Elliot hypothesised- and almost losing Pickles only made it worse.

"Mm."

Elliot had been sad about the skitty, he really had. Skittles was a ray of sunshine- albeit, foul mouthed. Probably the wisest member of the entire team, trainer included. While maybe not battle material, the pokemon had the strangest way of making everything feel at ease, like any situation they found themselves in calm. Everyone liked her, and she made everything less boring with her little jokes, or her funny speech in general.

But, as the shellder knew from personal experience that the show must go on. And the first step of that was repairing Aidan- which would be a heavy task, he knew. They needed Pickles to be healed, and for Fae to beat up their trainer to his senses. Then, they could keep on going like they had.

" _You're clumsy and slow and dumb, not necessarily in that order, and you're stupid."_ Elliot wasn't actually angry, but he was a little lost at what to do in the situation. He felt useless- he was angry with himself. He was the first pokemon Aidan had ever caught- wasn't that supposed to count for something? Anything? Aidan was supposed to be smiles and warm and kind and lazy and kind of like the feeling of fresh laundered clothes all cozy around you.

Elliot hadn't actually felt that experience more than a few times, during their stay at the Pewter City pokecenter, but it had been very nice. Everyone jumped in the pile after Aidan put the towels and his spare clothes in the basket from the metal contraption, and Aidan was usually too tired to do anything but smile and laugh.

It was strange- Skittles missing felt like a black hole in their small family- or really, it was going to be, when things got back to normal. But without Aidan's gentle encouragement and his almost helpless, if not naive pleasantness he constantly radiated, it felt like there was no sunshine to peak through their dark time.

"I know…"

The shellder wanted to ram its semi-metaphorical head into the wall. " _You only hear that one?!"_

"I-I'm s-sorry I failed as a.. as your…" The words died in the trainer's throat, as they did anytime he tried to form a sentence of three words or longer.

Elliot had to force the memory away from his thoughts- just _watching_ and _hearing_ it had been sickening enough. Somehow, for a clam, he had good hearing- the snap of the cracking teeny tiny bones- the confident limber moves of the feline stopping mid action, suddenly being tossed with such force, her small frame could only be compared to a broken rag doll.

She had been scared- terrified. The fear stench on her had been enough to overcome his own- but each step of her's had a steady paw, and her whimsical cat smile stilled, completely unflinching as she stepped up to the plate. With words of stone, she had talked her way into doing what had needed to be done- Elliot's shell was weak from being tossed around- he couldn't take another one. Pickles was so physically exhausted from being the driving force of their team for such an intense battle- the only things that were gong to repair is ragged health would've been sleep or a potion to pick him up. They had no time.

Elliot had been blown away by her steel resolve. He was built for defense and he still was scared of getting hurt- and the pokemon who had received little to no training, who had been constant support for everyone else- she sacrificed herself, knowing everything to come. Elliot knew he couldn't be a pebble to the mountain that she was- but he was going to damn well try, because someone had to pick up the pieces, and he was absolutely certain it was what she wanted.

"B… But I screwed…" Aidan murmured, eyes half lidded. The shellder was almost sure that his trainer was falling asleep- two days straight worrying with little food and no sleep was probably taking its toll.

" _No, Aidan."_ As much as Elliot was sure as large part was his fault for not being tougher, stronger, or courageous enough, he knew what happened was the cruelty of reality. Things didn't always go as they should. But he wasn't going to make Skittles' death sound like a petty mistake on anyone's part- it wasn't. " _Skittles was our hero when we needed her most, and then she vanished. This was of her own choice and we… we… we can't belittle that, okay?"_

A soft rhythm of quiet breathing alerted the shellder that his trainer was sleeping. Finally.

With what little ability in his body type that he owned, the shellder somehow managed to get the young boy's body laid down- both were probably bruised from the effort, and the sleeping one had been so dead tired he hadn't even woken up.

Elliot shimmied under Aidan's arm and nuzzled into the boy's core- Fae or Skittles were always stealing the spot, and the shellder was kind of glad he could have time with his trainer. The circumstances were terrible- but Elliot was able to be supportive of Aidan, even if it didn't quite work, and he was happy with his small first step.

Elliot knew he absolutely was never going to be as naturally graceful or witty as Skittles. He wouldn't ever be capable of Fae's reckless honestly that pushed Aidan forward. He was never going to know just what to say to make things better, or to get a smile out of someone- but he was a shield, both as a shellder and as Aidan's first pokemon, it felt like the spot he needed to be in. Mentally or physically, Elliot wanted to protect his trainer and his friends. Maybe he wasn't strong, or smart, or good at anything but taking hits- but when it mattered, he was going to help, too. This, he promised. Maybe not in the near future- he had no illusions about his courage, or lack thereof. But, someday he would be absolutely dependable, too.

Skittles wasn't just a hero in her selfless actions. She was a hero, probably, in the daily eyes of the team as well. But, Elliot didn't want to mourn her too long- she was so amazing, but they couldn't be sad forever, until they forgot how to be happy. They needed to continue to survive and find new amazing family members and damn the danger.

But for now… Elliot was content with a warm nap.

* * *

 _ **Team Line-up:**_

Fae the cleffa, lv. 11

Elliot the shellder, lv. 6

Pickles the wooper, lv. 11

 _ **Death Box:**_

Skittles the skitty, lv. 4

 ** _Location:_** Pewter City

 ** _Next time:_** A guide on how to possibly deal with blazing red rockets, absurdly long caves, and sanity in those said caves. Soon to hit a bookstore near you!


	4. Chapter 4

If you see any mistakes or awkward parts, please tell me. And I do plan on fixing up these first few chapters in the future. (I really oughta get a friend or someone to help me proof read but I'm too lazy :p) I hope, if you're going back to school like me, that you have good luck and that you are happy and safe even if you aren't going back. Sorry about this slow update (and probably those to come with how its looking.) and I'm probably going to rewrite some parts of this chapter when this is over. when this is over ; a ; anyway.

 ** _This time:_** A guide on how to possibly deal with blazing red rockets, absurdly dark caves, and sanity in those said caves. Soon to hit a bookstore near you! (first half)

* * *

 _Clover steeled herself with a steadying hand pressed on the fold-up chair; a clammy death grip on it being her only connection to the reality around her._

 _A lot of people were there, so many she could almost feel herself being drowned in a sea of bodies if she closed her eyes._

 _The only people that mattered to her here, however, were the living Oaks and her mother. Daisy was surrounded by friends, and the elder Oak was quietly far off with a small lady who was equal to his age and almost familiar, for some reason._

 _Gary was in an ocean of his friends from school. Plenty of dirty looks were sent that way at the kids laughing loudly, and generally ignoring the lull hum of quiet noise required of a funeral. Some reporters milled about, trying to uncover the truth of the deaths of the ever popular Oak couple._

 _Clover's mother was perhaps sobbing the loudest- and also yelled the fiercest at the reporters, working with the security guards to throw them out. When not biting the heads off of the merciless goofers, she was crying her heart out on her daughter's shoulder._

 _The normal southern Kanto weather was merrily beating down, a bright sunshine accompanied by clear azure skies of an almost painful intensity. A soft wind made it feel just bearable, and the picturesque day seemed to be there to spite the death and the tears. It was an unsettling conflict._

 _In the movies, it was always gloomy and rainy and didn't seem to last very long. As a parallel, Clover didn't think it would ever end, and it was the type of day she and Gary would ride their bikes on, or go swimming at the small bay that led to sea. Or at the least, it would've used to, but she didn't think things would remain as it had between them. The future ahead seemed incapable of remaining similar to how it had been._

 _Gary sent over guilty looks every so often, and was laughing along with the other kids, but all she could think was how horrible of an actor he was._

 _The funeral lasted for ages upon ages, and it wasn't soon enough that she was sent home and watched her mom walk off to the celebration of life party in the city. That was what they called it, but to her, it sounded like a cheap excuse to go drinking the pain away. Clover was just a kid, and she was sure it helped her mother cope, but she couldn't stop the worry eating at her. It wasn't healthy and she never felt at ease around alcohol or those intoxicated by it- least of all, her mom._

 _But at least her mother was crying and expressing it. It was a lot more than she could say for the youngest Oak._

* * *

 _Night time came and the hours of stillness in the house stretched on. The house felt like it was consuming her first, and her thoughts were tearing her atoms apart second, like she was first eaten then digested._

 _The Oaks had been a happy big family, and now they were so small, in a rather terrifying way. She would think to her own tiny family of two; it could so easily be torn apart. In a twisted manner, she was grateful. That it had not been her own mother that died._

 _If not for her mother, she had nobody. Gary was rapidly slipping through her fingers and she didn't have any real flesh and blood. No father to speak of, no aunt nor uncle nor grandpa or anything even akin. The Oaks were there, but they were broken now. Divided in half, almost._

 _Without her mother, how would Clover even have a family? It was unthinkable. Her mother was her mother, her father, her siblings and her uncles and aunts and grandparents. Her mother was her entire family enough for her._

 _If Clover ever lost someone with half as much importance in her life, she'd probably lose it. So, she couldn't believe Gary had dealt with it or was even coping with it. Her mother was the proof of coping with it, even if it was unhealthy. It was like he was ignoring it had taken place at all._

 _Clover wiped away her tears from all the heavy thoughts that had collected, and hopped up to answer the door- it was probably her mother, back from drinking herself silly._

" _Er… Hey, Clover." The person she had least expected to be at her door was in front of her, shy. She had a small bit of mind to close the door in his face, but she knew his actions previous had been a result from the stress and grief. Or so she told herself._

 _She tried her best to put on a friendly smile. "Hey, Gary. Wanna come in?"_

 _A little later, they were sitting in the living room, the television bringing a harsh lighting to their faces. Hot tea was set in front of both. Clover had heard tea was a good relaxer; it was pretty likely the young Oak would be needing some of that._

" _I'm… yesterday… er, y'know, Clover. For, uh... er… y'know..."_

 _Absentmindedly, her hand rose to her swollen cheek. "Decking me?" She offered with a slight, unimpressed smile. Clover hoped and prayed he couldn't see any of the upset feelings she felt. It wasn't like he wanted to or set out to hurt her, but it hurt nonetheless._

" _Yeah. I just… I can't stand being here, Clove. It's suffocating like you wouldn't believe. I can't breathe, I swear to legends I can't breathe. And I don't think I'll last long staying in that house or Gramp's, either. They want to rebuild it- can you believe that? But…" He sighed, a minute of silence passing before he chugged the tea. It was difficult to see, but in the dim lighting, she could swear that there were little tears at the corners of his eyes. "It's not going to bring my mom and dad back. It's not going to make Daisy stop screaming in her night terrors and it's not going to stop that awful look from going on Gramps' face. I'm… I can handle it for now, but…"_

 _He was only thirteen but his face looked much older, as though his youth had gone to centuries in a blink. He looked ready to cry, to snap at a moment's notice. She knew if he cried in front of her openly, he'd only become difficult and hard to manage, so she tried her best to think of a solution._

 _She wished to the stars and back that they had a dummies guide to helping friends through their grief. She was only 11 and going off of what her drunk mother and television offered her. Namely, the Dr. Bill show. "Can I… Do you mind if I hug you for a bit?"_

 _A little noise escaped him and he nodded, and she went to hold her broken friend, imagining it as if it could help hold his broken pieces together, wondering if it was comforting enough, or at all, for him. His dam of tears seemed to break and he cried and sobbed into the space where her neck and shoulder met._

 _Clover was exceedingly relieved he was crying._

 _He cried and mumbled protests, occasionally murmuring self-loathing things, but everytime he did she tried her best to crush them with soft kindness, like she imagined her mother would._

 _She was glad that the hug approach went much better than the previous day's- she tried for concerned persistence when he seemed to be acting way too normal and she got a nice slug across the face and harsh words that couldn't be retracted._

 _After what felt like years of calm silence in their position, Gary pulled away and Clover went to put on another pot of hot water- and to secretly wipe the snot off her shoulder. If she had done it in front of him, he probably would've felt bad about it and try to leave._

 _Gary was scribbling away furiously on a loose sheet of paper when she returned with hot cocoa. It was probably 80 degrees outside, but she was sure one of his favorite drinks would be appreciated._

" _Hot cocoa…?" He asked cautiously, accepting his cup from her hand._

 _She nodded. "Don't you get that nice warm feeling inside when you drink it?"_

" _It's the middle of the summer, Clove. You're crazy." He snorted quietly, setting it down as he passed her the paper he had previously attacked._

" _You're gonna drink it anyway, right?" She commented as she read over the many ideas plotted on it, noting his nice handwriting._

 _It was all run away ideas. Or, any ideas in general to escape the small town. It ranged everything from living out in a boxcar to somehow swimming to Cinnabar- which was miles away. Some of the more plausible ones were to get a job as soon as possible and move, or student exchange programs._

 _She noticed that none of them included anyone's help, or had a plethora of methods of getting around complicating others. Clover tried to ignore the mountain of hurt slowly getting bigger, rock by rock, pebble by pebble. But she shut it down quickly, instead putting her effort into thinking of other possibilities._

 _Then it hit her. It was obvious. "Why don't we become pokemon trainers?" The words were out of her mouth before she could edit them- but the happy look and the relieved gratitude in his expression said a lot._

 _He had probably been trying to shoulder it all on his own, she thought._

" _It'll take a while but… We could do it. But Clover- you'd still have to wait two years-"_

 _Maybe she had been a little too into the spy movies and that Doctor Hoot series, but she gave him a big grin. "I can fudge the age, probably."_

" _Y-your mom-"_

 _Clover didn't know if she could leave her mother. At least, it wouldn't be easy. But with the dampness of Gary's tears still lingering on her shoulder, she knew where her feet would end up taking her. Maybe the Oaks weren't the same family they had been a week ago, but they were family nonetheless. "I pretty sure we can come up with a disguise in the next couple years, Gary."_

 _Gary seriously followed the idea of becoming a pokemon trainer- it was the only course of action that would legally allow him to leave at 16 instead of 18. And Clover seriously followed their promise made then- even with their meetings drastically decreasing and her feelings damaged again and again, by the new cocky persona of Gary Oak._

* * *

 _Clover and Gary walked home with light conversation dancing around the issues present- it had been six days since the tragic deaths of the Oak couple. Gary Oak had been an entire mess the first few days- it took the professor, her mother, and Clover herself just to make him take care of himself. Daisy had taken to her new room above the lab, door locked almost for the entire day. She'd only leave to go to the bathroom or drink tea. She barely ate- but she was somewhat taking care of herself. Better than her younger brother was, at least._

 _Professor Oak was functioning like normal- but his head was entirely in space. He would do as asked, or reply, but only after asking him something eight or nine times._

 _So when Gary suddenly started acting normal and even came to school that day, Clover was more than mildly alarmed. She didn't ask during school, but on their way home, she worked up the courage to question him._

" _Gary, are you sure you're okay?"_

 _They had been sitting at a bench for a while, enjoying the weather._

 _He gave her a suspicious look, scooting away. "Yes, I'm okay. So you should stop asking."_

 _Clover curled her toes and crossed her fingers. She had a bad feeling of how things were going to play, but she hoped for the best. "Have you thought about that therapist the professor wanted you to go to?"_

" _I'm okay!" He growled, snarling frustration playing on his complexion._

" _Anyone wouldn't be after that! Gary, please, go see them. I'm worried." She pressed, both now standing. Clover was only 11, and she was no genius. But she knew that he needed help- help that Daisy and the professor and her mother and herself couldn't provide. The professor had stressed the importance of convincing Gary and Daisy to see a therapist- and it made a lot of sense. So she was going to be persistent about it._

 _He snorted. "Don't be. Because I'm absolutely fine and it doesn't concern you."_

 _It was hard not to argue- she had been there too, but overall, it didn't really count. He lost his parents and she didn't. "Gary, as your friend, I'm asking-"_

" _Then, we aren't friends anymore. I don't need you- and I don't need a stupid therapist, either! I don't need anyone!" He shouted, stomping away._

 _Clover forced herself to not mind the comments- this was important. "Please- Gary, your grandpa even said so!"_

 _His laugh was cruel and unusual- broken. "Gramps doesn't know anything, Clover. And you don't either so just shut up." He was walking away. She watched his back for a moment, before chasing after him and grabbing his shoulder. She couldn't give up just yet._

" _This isn't something small! You can't do this all on your own, Ga-"_

 **Crunch.**

 _Clover found herself on the ground, holding her painfully burning cheek as she looked at her best friend. She wasn't strong- she was only a little girl after all. She felt useless and weaker than she ever had, as the tears started to leak down her face._

' _Y-yeah! That's what you get for putting your nose in s-someone else's business! Like I-I'd be your friend!" If she looked up, she probably would've seen him running, but she only curled up to the smallest her body could manage, and shook and cried in the dirt there. She couldn't manage anything past that._

* * *

Aidan never imagined he would be at another funeral. At least, not so soon.

And not one that was happening because of him- that was all his fault. Maybe not intentionally, but he was a murderer in essence nonetheless.

The weather was heavily overcast with a humid heatwave choking up the air. Buglife was active between the thick of trees that made the Viridian Forest, the sound of humming wings and cries of voices a orchestra of living noise.

The area certainly felt alive, but Aidan and co did not, as they all stood around the dull pokeball, greyed by deactivation. Pickles was wailing out his feelings, nuzzling the cold orb while Elliot stayed by his trainer's feet, hesitant and quiet.

"I'm… I'm going to let Fae out now, guys. Do you want to go back into your balls for a while?" They were the first words Aidan had said to the team all day.

Pickles picked himself off the ball and wildly leapt at Aidan's pant leg, large fat sloppy tears dropping like a spurting faucet. _"Pickles wants Skittles!"_ He yelled, expression messy and rawed with fussing.

Aidan reached down to pick up the wooper, holding him as Pickles threw himself into his trainer's torso, face slick with liquids. It seemed like few minutes before the noises quieted and the small amphibian separated himself from the now damp shirt. _"Pickles…"_ Said pokemon yawned, little eyes half lidded. _"Pickles want nap."_

"Yeah." The trainer murmured with a twinge of a smile, getting the correct orb from his belt. "Okay, buddy." Perhaps it was the long last few days and intense emotions running rampant, but 'buddy' was now acceptable. The little guy still flew off the handle with 'wooper' and everything else, but it was a small step somewhere. And when they were lost and had no idea where they were going, a small step somewhere was something good.

The air lost its tension when Pickles returned to his ball, but the sorrow still drenched the atmosphere, the silence between the clam and the human weighing on their shoulders.

" _Skittles was really a hero, wasn't she?"_ The shellder asked in a way that wasn't much of a question.

Aidan's nails bit sharply into his palms as he remembered. Remembered the fear she hid and the strength in her steps as she marched to the field. Remembered as she dodged like a slick eel with a steadfast mask of determination that held no cracks. Remembered her crumpled painful little form in his arms, quickly losing life.

She wasn't _supposed_ to be anyone's hero- she was supposed to be only a funny little cat. Honest and good, smart and amazing. She was a genuine creature and now, a tragedy he wrote in his actions at her expense. "She's what we would call a heroine, Elliot. I…" Aidan stopped before he went into a rant of how- any way he possibly could've done things better. Elliot was probably tired of hearing it by now, he was sure. "You, uh, want to go to your ball before we release the crackin?"

The shellder smiled a little- or what Aidan supposed was a smile, its was tricky at best to tell, but he was getting better at it. _"Good luck with that, Aidan."_

The trainer was pretty sure the pokemon only went back to this ball to escape the upcoming tempest, giving him a sympathetic look as he was enveloped in red light.

Aidan took a look at Skittles' pokeball- they had bought a small decorative box with plush on the inside for the occasion. They sold them at the mart in a hidden corner and he had spent almost two hours choosing an appropriate one.

It was fairly simple, a black felt cube with lining on the inside. A protective outer wiring of gold metalwork wove together to make a design of the sun, moon and stars. It was pretty and somehow didn't cost a alarming amount.

He held Fae's ball for a moment, glad he decided to bring a portable medical kit. He was probably going to need it.

"Hi, Fae." Aidan managed, throat dry and rusty as cracked earth in the summer.

The cleffa immediately leapt at the trainer, incoherently babbling far too fast for his ears to discern, and was mildly aware of increasing wetness on his chest, now drenched. "A-are you okay? Calm down, Fae- it's okay now, I promise, I got you, I got you in my arms now, okay?"

Her small form was flailing in his grasp, as if trying any way to get closer to her trainer's body, squirming and wiggling. _"I'm so happy you're okay M-Master Aidan, I was with the creepy old hag and she wouldn't explain anything and she looked so sad, and naturally I thought y-you w-were… w-were-"_ The pink pudge grew inconsolable, bawling loudly.

Aidan couldn't help but twitch his lips upward as he sat to be more accommodating for his starter. She was ridiculous, rude and a little crazy, but no one had ever cried on his behalf like this. A tender, fluttery warmth filled his core as he held her, and he felt grateful that he could be on this journey- he wanted to be here. Honest.

With a shuddering breath of his own, Aidan gathered the courage to tell Fae. "Skittles… She died in the gym battle against Brock. She allowed us time to heal Pickles- I-I'm so sorry… I should've forfeit or something, or made us train longer, or…"

The sniffing cleffa headbutted her trainer's chin, little eyes red and puffy. _"Y-you can't do anything about it now! You were always asking us if we wanted to train more and telling her that she was more fit for other stuff and she stayed by her own accord! You can't blame yourself for everything, you stupid s-stupid Master."_

Her words made sense, but he didn't want to accept them at all. "Look, Fae, I'm the trainer- I'm the head of the team so it's my fault. A-and you didn't see her walk to the field!" Tears were starting to prick at his eyes. If he wasn't supposed to blame Brock, and he couldn't only blame himself, then who was he supposed to blame? How could he blame anyone else, when he didn't stop her, didn't stop the match?

" _What was it like?"_ Fae asked after a long beat of silence between them.

Aidan stared at the gray pokeball in its decorative box, sighing. "She… I was too scared to decide anything. Elliot couldn't take another hit, and Pickles was exhausted and tired and I needed to heal him while the onix was on it's last leg. And then, she barked at me and marched on. She was scared y'know? Terrified. But she was only confident and calm like always- and she even almost made it."

He had to stop, feeling the phantom ghosts brush his arm, remembering how she felt in his arms, like a ragdoll full of broken china with fleeting warmth.

" _I remember the old hag saying something about you throwing up. She didn't say anything about the gym after that which is why I was so worried."_ The pink pudge murmured, now resting quietly in his hug.

"Really?" Aidan said, continuing to stare at the ball. "It was all just a blur after that- Pickles beat the onix which was all I was thinking about, and then his siblings… they threw down some poison spikes. I was so angry, but I had to get Pickles out of there before…"

Another long stretch of quiet returned between them, as they watched the sun's light dance between the tree branches and enjoyed the sticky warmth of the afternoon.

Aidan was lost in thought about thank-you baskets as they left Pewter City, finally leaving it behind them. Fae and Pickles were strolling leisurely beside him, and he held Elliot in his arms.

 _Thank-you baskets are still a thing, right?_ He wondered, a variety of assortments passing his thoughts. If he sent a beauty package, he was sure Verde would use it, but also come at him ranting and huffing. She'd probably say 'Who do you think you are, getting off with this? I'm already fucking beautiful, I don't need this crap, do you fucking hear me Aidan Smith?!' or something similar to that.

He couldn't purchase anything with wine or alcohol, so that was out of the picture. He knew that she'd just give her nidoqueen any flowers he sent as a snack- he'd seen her do it before. In front of the very guy who gave them to her, asking her out on a date. It had been kinda funny, but he still felt bad for the guy.

"Aidan, wait up!"

He froze at the voice, a curdling and brooding feeling beginning to clutch his stomach. He took one look at the speaker's face and bolted after scooping up all of his pokemon in his arms.

" _Master Aidan, who is that?!"_ The cleffa yelped, peeking over his shoulder.

Pickles was quaking in his arms. _"Bad man, bad man!"_

Elliot was haphazardly trying to lick the wooper in the midst, attempting to calm him down. _"It's okay Pickles, he didn't want to hurt Skittles, he doesn't want to hurt us- Aidan, you can't run from him forever!"_

"Says," Aidan gasped with tired challenge in his voice, "who?"

Before long, the rock snake had cut off their escape route. The trainer was tempted to send Pickles, who was itching for it, to brawl again with the onix, but then he saw the many bandages and salves over its body.

The cleffa was puzzled still but jumped out protectively in front of her trainer, and Elliot was keeping the wooper from blasting the rock snake with water.

His heart squirmed uncomfortably- he didn't want to be anywhere near Brock. Not one lick or one bit. But, he knew a gym leader was also serious business. It wouldn't reflect well on him, and it would make him stand out some if the news caught wind of a trainer resisting a leader.

He swallowed, aware of his parched throat as he returned Pickles- Elliot couldn't restrain him for too long, and Pickles would be hysteric. It was probably for the best to give him alone time. "Brock." He rasped, curtly.

Said gym leader was panting as well, but standing strong. "Aidan. I want to apologize to you and your team."

Aidan didn't want to hear it. Everything in him was willing him to dash off, away. Not because he was physically scared, or emotionally, even.

"I'm so sorry for my-"

If he heard Brock apologize for the death of Skittles, he was going to lose the monster.

Aidan gave a weak, shaky laugh. "D-don't worry about it, okay?"

He was going to lose the image of a monster taking Skittles away, and have it replaced with a remorseful human.

Brock shook his head violently. "I have to worry about it- it's my fault you lost your skitty."

How was Aidan supposed to hate him then? How was he supposed to hate someone who was only doing their job?

"I'm truly sorry for the pain I have caused and your friend you have lost because of my weak judgement as a gym leader." The man genuinely seemed apologetic, gaze cast to the ground, as if unable to look the younger trainer in the eye.

How was Aidan supposed to hate the person who was only there to challenge him- a challenge that Aidan screwed up for himself and his team?

His voice was cracked and emotional, speaking slowly as he shook his head. "I-it wasn't your fault, Brock. I-it's mine, I think.."

* * *

The trainers Aidan had previously scoped out were strong in number and similar in strength- and just _never ending._ For each trainer that Fae and Elliot fought off, two more would replace their spot. The money they handed over after was pitiful and they all had numerous pokemon. Aidan didn't want to spend more than a week at the spot, so he had to use the money Brock had given him earlier, along with a badge and a technical machine that the young trainer had not received at the gym.

Thankfully, the extra money for supplies made it much quicker- they didn't have to go back to the pokecenter after every few battles, which would take the rest of the day.

Fae and Elliot both agreed (imagine that) with their trainer to involve Pickles as little as possible with the battles, and to work as a group to cheer up the dreary little cry baby. It was also good experience for the team in general- they had never faced so many trainers in such a short amount of time. The only other trainers they had fought had really been in the Viridian Forest, and they only faced a few in those three weeks.

Aidan became more stable and confident, his commands much louder and sure, no longer akin to the timid words he used to send out during battle that sounded more like questions. Elliot too, grew a little calmer, taking blows with less panic and on occasion, even taking two or three pokemon all on his own. He was still no match for the energetic, crazy pink pudge, however.

After two days of endless battles and exhausted nights, the team found a grassy area. Aidan felt bad he had never actually caught any of his pokemon with means that weren't food, so he decided. They were going to try for another team member.

With Pickles being entertained by Elliot some distance away, Fae and Aidan snuck into the grass.

Did he want to replace Skittles? He honestly didn't think it was possible. But, the more team members they had, the better. That he was certain, after the gym battle went. One more on their team could change the entire playing field- not to mention their weakness to grass types that was rather hard to ignore in the future. There was a whole gym devoted to it, and they were plentiful in the wilds.

Soon enough, the duo found a rare find- a kirlia! Aidan had only ever seen them on television, in books, in anime. They were exceedingly popular, but rare to actually own, and rarer to find wild.

He had heard the horror stories about psychic types- but if they came against a fighting or a grass type, they'd have something, at least. And, kirlia were strong.

Even if he didn't want a new face so soon after Skittles, if he could stop what happened the kirlia, then so be it, he'd even wrestle a fighting type by himself.

"Sing, Fae!" Aidan said, watching the emotion pokemon turn around slowly, as if it already knew they were there.

A melodic sound that was neither quite song nor words drifted out of the cleffa's mouth, and the lithe kirlia slowly sunk to the ground. It didn't look especially alarmed. While most anyone would probably at least put up some resistance, he had to remind himself it was a psychic type. He'd have to make this quick- if it knew they were there before hand, then it likely had a plan.

"Okay Fae, use your pound attack! Not too harshly, though!"

A few attacks were easily laid on the defenseless psychic type, and Fae was going on as if nothing were amiss, so Aidan decided to trust his pokemon's sixth sense. He threw a pokeball- and it flew right back into Fae's enraged face, and then his own, a thin layer of psychic energy barely visible around the ball.

As he suspected, when he sat back up, he could see the last traces of teleport, a giggle dissipating as their failed capture left.

"Damn." Aidan grumbled holding his face in his hands. "We got played, Fae."

An air of fury surrounded the small, cute pink pudge. _"Ohhhh… Next time I see that guy, I am going to PUMMEL him! No one makes a fool of me and gets away with it. Fufufu…"_

The young trainer was a little cheered up by his starter's usual antics, unable to stop himself from smiling.

" _Why ya' laughin'! Something funny, Master?"_ Normally, her use of the word Master held a happy lilt, but it was now filled with threat, as if just daring him to say what he was thinking.

He honestly hadn't realized he was chuckling- and the phantom aches in his body told him what was to come. Despite this, he went and said it anyway. "Y'know, Fae, you're really cute when you try to be scar- Ow! Shi- crap! Motherfuck, don't BITE ME! You always bite too hard!"

As they moved for a night in the pokecenter, beside the entrance to Mount Moon, Aidan somehow felt himself becoming more of a masochist, not regretting the new batch of slightly bloody cuts and bruises.

* * *

Aidan never really liked darkness. When he was younger, his overactive imagination would always flash back to the horror movies he could never seem to stop himself from watching- perhaps he really was a glutton for punishment.

Thankfully, the cave was plentiful with light, which was most likely from when the mine was a fossil hot spot, which gave rise to the museum. Chany dragged him with her to see it after work one day- he never had much interest, but he went to be polite. He felt rude just being there, seeing an emotional old man over the bones of two complete dragon fossils.

Aidan and Elliot tried their luck with a zubat- who was screeching so loudly, and his words were just so horrible that the only way to get the damn thing to shut up was to get it unconcious.

He had only two pokemon out at a time, max. He made sure to read up about the place before they went venturing into it. Suspicious activity was going on there, supposedly.

Elliot and Fae were easy enough, they were always bickering when they were both out, so they stayed close together, and to him, because he usually was the one in between. Pickles, however, seemed in a hurry to get stronger, now. Or rather, that was what the little pokemon said, but Aidan was getting a very distinct feeling that wasn't the case. It was more like the wooper was throwing itself into battles with wild abandon.

That and with the first long, weary week they spent in the cave, Aidan's bad premotion seemed to get heavier and more likely to come true. About once or twice a day, he would run into a trainer, or a miner, and almost always, they seemed to have words that were making his premotion likelier and likelier.

It was the 8th day in that blasted cave that they ran into someone who most definitely fit into the criminal description, all black with a large R on their chest.

Elliot had been in his arms, and the two had been mildly discussing colors- legends above, they were so much more than bored, that boredom had barely covered a tenth of it. There was only so much you could talk about, wandering in a large mountain, before the good topics ran dry.

"What's a brat like you doing in our cave? Go back, this isn't anything for you, runt."

There lacked a bite in the snarl that the suspicious man growled, leaning against a boulder, looking similarly bored out of his mind, and shifty.

" _A-aidan, this guy doesn't smell good."_ The shell in his arms whined, squirming closer to him.

Elliot complained as much as anyone would- but unless it actually bothered him, he wouldn't be moving around in his arms like he was.

Aidan couldn't smell anything, but he knew the guy was bad news from a look. "Well, do you want to book it? He only has one ball on his belt. He doesn't carry himself very trainerly, either." The trainer was no expert yet, but he knew that any trainer on speaking terms with their pokemon would be talking with them- the cave got worse by yourself. He had to be by himself, sometimes, to let the team rest, but it wasn't a fun experience.

It was a quiet that ate someone, not whole, but slowly. Slowly in a way that the thoughts would spiral, that the looming darkness in the huge area became so much more scarier, in a way that boasted paranoia despite better judgement. Noises were everywhere in the cave, and pokemon cries could sound like human screams, when one had nothing better to imagine. It was unpleasant, and for the first time, he could really understand the idea of humans being social creatures that bunched together.

The shellder took a moment to think, his strange body makeup somehow suggesting introverted thinking. A shell could suggest a lot for not actually changing position very much. The tongue, surprisingly, did little to help read a shellder's mood. The trainer was slowly getting better at understanding his pokemon but it was also just that; slow. He expected the pokemon to shrink back and easily blow off the challenge, but he agreed, surprisingly enough. _"... Let's do it, Aidan. I want to."_

There was no stuttering, no hint of hesitation. Aidan looked at his pokemon once more. He knew that there was something going on in Elliot's head that the pokemon wasn't saying out loud, but he saved it for later.

Elliot would never take on a trainer that cocky or confident, which was why Aidan was startled by it, but he was more than happy to oblige his pokemon.

"Didn't you hear me, punk? Or are you mute, huh? 'bout to wet your little pants, boy?"

The shellder popped out of his arms, unflinching as he hobbled to a good battling distance from the suspicious guy. "What are you up to?" Aidan questioned under his breath with a frown, walking behind his pokemon. Now he _knew_ something was definitely up with the mild little guy. It's not like he was that much of a coward, because Elliot could take on plenty of trainers or pokemon without being too uneased, unless they looked especially scary. He had never seen the clam ever so determined for a battle, however.

The pokemon would battle, sure. Just fine, but he never _wanted_ to. It was always just something he had to do. Aidan had even asked him about it before. He only battled because he wanted to get strong enough to avenge his father, and to stay with the team.

"We'll just see how you like a taste of Team Rocket's might, brat!"

The trainer was pretty glad that the guy only sent out a rattata- he had been expect an onix, or a fierce dark type. Or a grass type, or electric, then he would've had to switch out, and he didn't want to switch out Elliot when the pokemon wanted to do this- he seemed to have some pretty solid reasons.

"Tackle it up, Elliot!" Aidan said, confident the shellder could take it. He could even take hyper fangs now without too much damage taken- if it were Fae or Pickles, he would switch them out on the spot after that, being so fragile, comparatively speaking. The different build of pokemon could be amazing, sometimes. And difference in training, too.

Like for instance, the 'Rocket' guy's rattata. It had bruises even before the battle started and wounds that looked mighty similar to lash lines that a whip would make, he noticed. Then he saw the whip on the man's hip.

The battle shortly closed without much mishap, but Aidan wondered if the rattata had been heavily injured or dead, even, if that would've been kinder than to let it go back to its trainer.

"Release the rattata!" Aidan demanded, taking fast, short steps to the criminal.

The guy sneered. "As if. Get lost runt, or I'll slam you with my fists- and only because I feel generous. I don't like hurting kids, but I can make an exception, if you don't make yourself scarce soon."

Aidan had never been in a real fight, but he was just about to initiate one, before Elliot called his name. _"Aidan, let's go! Please!"_

"Tch. You're lucky, asshole- I hope your pokemon gets you back, and soon."

Aidan was _seething_.

* * *

When they made camp for the night, and after his team calmed him down through gentle water guns and Fae's famous headbutt to stop his angry ranting, Elliot explained his reasons to his trainer, after the other two went to bed.

" _Aidan, I know you're angry, but they're bad people. Bad bad people. Team Rocket- they're a criminal organization. They… They're the people who…"_ The shellder was shivering right next to Aidan. The trainer didn't think this was caused by chills, however. Aidan placed what was hopefully a reassuring hand on the pokemon. _"They killed my dad, and almost took my mother, too, Aidan. Please, d-don't fight them one on one, Aidan. Th-they'll kill you too and I don't want you to go away too! P-please promise me, Aidan."_

Aidan wanted to be a little angry- why on earth did the shellder want to fight against them one on one himself, then?!- but he understood. Pokemon couldn't be evil, not in the same way as humans.

It was hard to say yes, because Aidan wanted to stop them- he was so enraged that someone would hurt their pokemon like that, just killing pokemon without regret. If it was when he was still sheltered, oblivious to anything outside of Pallet Town, safe and at home, he probably wouldn't have cared beyond thinking that it was horrible, like the general people.

And he wasn't all that different from that girl, lazily spending her days. But, he thought of Skittles', dying in his arms. Someone was a monster, truly, to want to do that, to actually kill a innocent pokemon. To hurt his own pokemon, who still fought at his side.

Aidan could see Pickles or Fae, finding a trainer like that. Fae was trained for obedience, and Pickles was so young, naive. His blood curdled in him, boiling as his imagination came up with countless images. And Elliot could've had a happy life with his parents, instead of that hysterical mother he had.

Humans? They were wicked and evil, good and kind. But pokemon had a simplistic natural goodness to them, as they had no politics, and didn't mind coexisting with humans.

"... Fine." The trainer sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But as long as the conditions seem safe, can we still battle them? As a team?" He didn't want to give up. The rattata's haunted eyes entered his thoughts.

The shellder took in a shuddering breath into relaxation, his body deflating a little. _"Let's ask Fae and Pickles tomorrow. I'm going to get some sleep for now."_

"Okay buddy. Sweet dreams."

Aidan exhaled, letting the heavy thoughts slide off his shoulders for now. He had at least another couple weeks in the mountain, and he could think about them all he wanted to then- he really would go crazy thinking about it if he didn't pace himself. Instead, he waited for Elliot to fall asleep and brought out his flashlight to, since no moon light made its way into the dreary cavernous place at night. He was going to take watch, but that didn't mean he couldn't do other things.

With his pokedex out, he resumed the notes he had been taking since Viridian Forest. He had Verde buy it in the city- he wasn't going to be able to catch a lot of pokemon for the professor, most likely, but in depth notes could prove useful, just maybe. Not to mention it was better than falling asleep on watch- last time he did, Fae almost gave him a black eye.

He held Skittles' page in his finger for a while, breathing evenly, in and out. He did that for ages and ages, before a cramp started to spring in his hand, and he closed the journal. _Maybe not tonight_ , he thought. _But soon._ Instead, he flipped it to the other side, and vastly failed at sketching the uniform he saw on the grunt.

He then started to write everything he had heard about the mysterious criminal group that he knew affectionately knew as Team Rocket. A guy in the pokecenter had been talking a bit about them- he had been talking namely about a type of rock only found in the mountain. A 'moon stone.'

There was a myth about Mount Moon, and probably where the name was coined. A meteor fell to earth, along with clefairies. The clefairies settled around their precious stone and protect the original stone deep in the bowels of the mountain, too far for humans to get. Clefairies only inhabited the particular Mount Moon, and were not found anywhere else in the wild. They were rare, and as far as Aidan knew it, a wild one was as rare as a shooting star. The only reason so many trainers had them- and there really weren't many to his knowledge, was because of breeding.

He looked at Fae, practically rolling over the poor wooper, snoring somewhat quietly. The professor wasn't kidding when he said the pokemon in the lab that day were rare. Charmander, a cleffa. Maybe the zubat was shiny or something- they most certainly were out the butt anywhere that was even moderately dark.

Was Team Rocket looking for clefairy to sell? They'd have a high price, no doubt. Or moon stones. They were so uncommon, they didn't even have a price, or so he heard. If they found the original stone, they'd surely be rich.

He wondered- there was a myth, that the pokemon clefable evolved from clefairy with a moon stone. His eyes flickered back to Fae. They were so rare, that researchers (Oak) wasn't even sure it was a evolution- that it was either a mutation, or a very rare pokemon of singular lineage. Fae would probably have fun, being bigger.

He then balked- third evolutions were generally pretty big, at least human size.

Perhaps it would be best to keep her away from it, he mulled over, rubbing the mostly healed bite wounds from their first day in the cave.

In her slumber, she looked a whole lot more peaceful, he noted. No scowl or snarl or sneer in her face- it was almost like she was a different mon', really. She was so small- so fragile. His heart twisted uncomfortably, the phantom touch of the lithe form in his arms as he put a hand on his belt, gently searching.

She was probably going to give him hell for it, for putting her in a ball while the others slept freely. But he did it anyways, flinching at the light and sound the ball made. Fortunately, Pickles didn't stir very much and Elliot was facing the other way, so he didn't see it. The little shell was so tired, he only snored louder as a result.

He had a possibly suicidal wooper, a determined shellder, and a cleffa he wasn't going to dare use unless he had to. He needed a plan- and a lie. He was considering telling Fae the truth about the situation.

But it wasn't likely.

Just the thought of her tiny form threatening the grunt with the whip- or, the next time, it could be a gun- made him cringe.

His team wasn't steady. He was pretty damn weak, too. They were at a severe disadvantage, and he was going to need a hell of a plan if he saw another Rocket.

* * *

Gary and his charmander, Clare, had bounced back to Pewter City. His sister had flown in with a friend and desperately wanted to see her little brother. He had almost left for Mount Moon, when he decided to try and video chat his family before leaving for the cave. He had been raring to go, but he wanted to try and connect with his family as much as possible on his journey, knowing they were worrying themselves senseless.

So Gary was hardly bothered, talking the trek back to town that would probably take most of his day. He was pretty excited to see Daisy after so long- and, not out loud would he ever admit to himself, but he was hopeful to see his slowpoke rival as well. She- er, he, now, took forever to do anything. He was somewhat surprised he hadn't seen her yet, either. Pewter was small and he had spent a while there, collecting data for the pokedex. The gym battle had been a breeze with Clare's fabulous metal claw, although the gym leader's siblings threw some water at the Oak and his pokemon.

Thankfully, his charmander was wonderfully smart- of course she was, just look at who raised her- and her ember had combated most of the water, with only a few drops sizzling on her hot skin. Before the kids had any more ideas, his rattata, Finny, had some fun chasing them for a bit.

Brock had been impressed with his skill- but of course- and even gave him a technical machine, praising him.

Gary was so happy to be free of Pallet Town- and he was genuinely having fun he hadn't had in ages. Maybe he'd send Aidan an anonymous gift basket after it was all over… It wasn't enough, probably, but Gary was too busy enjoying the moment to think too far in the future, or to let the past bother him.

Hell, he even had a fan club and he only had one badge.

He looked for street signs as his stomach sang to him, looking for the cafe his sister told him to wait at.

It wasn't very surprising when he ended up at a maid cafe. He should've know, really. His sister had an almost- well, no almost about it- terrifying love for cute things. When they were younger, Daisy would dress Clover and him up in frilly costumes- when he was about seven or so, he and Clover went and revolted. They made a mud wall and pelted Daisy with mud balls until she surrendered. He was pretty sure Clover was a little too young to remember.

In their victory, all three dirty children dug with their little grubby hands to lay the troublesome frills to rest- thankfully, his sister shortly grew of them. She still occasionally made them try some stuff on, but it was nowhere as tyrannical as it had been.

He ordered some coffee drink, not really caring whatever he ended up with. A snappy women with a vaporeon maid outfit was the tending barista, snarling at everyone who came in.

"Why don't you try that again with a better attitude, dickwad?" the maid growled, glaring daggers at him.

The offended Oak scoffed, returning the look. "How about you try it first? This is some shitty ass service, pesky hag."

"The fuck did YOU JUST CALL ME!?" The agitated maid lunged at him, over the counter only to be held back by a much nicer, pinker maid.

"Verde, I know you're worried about the kid, but you can't let it interfere with work!"

The 'Verde' person still struggled some, but more so with the person holding her now, rather than himself. "How can't I? The idiot is a fucking idiot, and I _have_ to be worried because who else will?!"

The maid that looked based off a chancey looked apologetically speechless after the rant, gently placing the angry coworker down behind her, stepping up to the counter. "I'm sorry, sir. What would you like? Anything you want, it's on the house."

"Chany, you'll make us broke!"

"And whose fault would that be?" A new maid threw over her shoulder, before walking straight back into her work.

Soon enough, the matter was resolved, and before too long, Daisy was there, tears in her eyes as she tackled her brother in a hug, blubbering and all that for a while. Her friend- the chancey maid from earlier, Chany- brought her tea.

Daisy was delighted to meet Clare again, and demanded the details of his journey so far.

Truthfully, it wasn't exactly easy, but it wasn't very hard either. A few girls already tried to hit on him once they learned he was an Oak, which was somehow gross and flattering at the same time. But, he wouldn't stop trying to become a known person until people referred to him as not just Oak, but Gary Oak. His team was solid- any of his pokemon could easily take any other trainer's pokemon with relative ease now. Clare was soon to be a charmander- her claws were growing and her body too, with her flame a little bigger than it had been when they first met.

He honestly couldn't say his journey was anything but fun. He was free as a bird.

Then Daisy rambled some on about the elder Oak, who seemed a little listless but doing well. She had started being an aide full time now. Then, she formally introduced her friend, Chany. A medical student at a small shop in town, and worked at the cafe for rent and tuition.

"Sorry about Verde back there." The girl said once on her break, sitting in the booth across from him with his sister.

He shrugged. "It's not like I'll probably ever meet her again after this. What's her problem, anyway?" He questioned, a hint of crossness still left over.

Chany sighed. "A younger friend of hers- well, borderline her hobby, just left town. A really sweet kid- kinda shy, though. She got pretty attached to them, and he left town in rough shape. I'd be worried too, but I swear Verde's worried enough for everyone else." The girl sighed again, shaking her head. "Anyway, what pokemon do you have?"

It was pretty late when he left, but he caught quite the sight before leave. While waiting for the receipt, he looked at the picture filled wall, and saw a familiar face.

He couldn't help it- he was about to cry from laughing so hard, the kind of laugh that hurt your stomach and made you slowly descend to the floor if it went on too long.

Clover, in a maid costume with eevee ears, looking offended and embarrassed at the same time, the cleffa- Fae?- in her arms, for some reason smug. Her hair was short but styled with skill- the short hair hidden under a cap last time, now artfully arranged.

Maybe he had been up too long, or exhaustion was getting to his head, but she looked alright, and a weight had lifted from his shoulders- that she was okay. It seemed to be taken not too long ago- so there was no way that the kid that the angry maid had been restless about was her.

Not that he particularly cared, or anything. She just looked ridiculous, he told himself. That was all.


End file.
